Children's Home run by Serenity Specialist Care Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC471672 1 SC471672

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Serenity Specialist Care Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for one young person who has learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorder. It is owned and operated by a small private company.

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This monitoring visit

The home is subject to a temporary variation of conditions of registration. This was issued following an inadequate judgement at a full inspection on 19 and 20 June 2019. This condition limits the number of children who can be cared for from four to one until 16 September 2019.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted issued a compliance notice for fire safety, after carrying out a monitoring visit on 23 July 2019. The provider has taken all steps to meet the compliance notice. They have implemented the advice of the West Midlands Fire Service. There is now one fire risk assessment that is up to date. Fire safety equipment, such as fire extinguishers, lighting, fire exits and fire doors, are in good working order. There are now regular visual checks of all equipment and testing of the fire alarm. These improvements in fire precautions help to keep children and staff safe.

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This monitoring visit

The one remaining child told the inspector that he has had a good summer and feels he can trust all the staff.

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This monitoring visit

However, progress is still too slow or ineffective in key areas of keeping children safe. Previous regulatory weaknesses remain, and this inspection has raised fresh regulatory requirements.

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This monitoring visit

Staff assess that the child is at increased risk. However, documentation relating to risk management is still not clear or up to date. For example, records to reduce the risk of the child going missing from the home do not make it clear about the likely Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC471672 2 places that the child may hide. This is despite the child recently going missing from the home on three occasions.

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This monitoring visit

Staff work alone and need to manage challenging incidents. Staff care has been, on occasion, inconsistent. This has led to an incident of violence and the child running away from the home.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not have clear plans to inform their work with the child. Staff still do not base their care on the child’s placing authority care and health plan or follow the recommendation set out in the child’s statutory review.

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This monitoring visit

There is still no coordinated plan to enable the child to access health services local to the home. This means that the child is still not accessing the services he requires to monitor his health and to review his prescribed medication. Staff have also failed to monitor and track a child’s weight gain or to consider if there could be any impact on his physical health and his emotional well-being.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not have the skills to make full use of communication aids that help children to be able to contribute to their care. This means that children who have a learning disability and autistic spectrum disorder are still not helped enough to understand their plans for their long-term care and to be fully informed about the rules of the home.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has still not implemented safeguarding procedures effectively. For example, the manager and staff have failed to make a record and to promptly refer a safeguarding referral about concerns over a member of staff in relation to gang association and violence. There was a failure to promptly seek advice and to share information with the child’s placing authority. Instead the manager carried out their own investigation into the concerns and then continued to deploy the member of staff. This failure comes less than three months after another child from the home was criminally exploited in June 2019.

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This monitoring visit

Despite only having one child living at the home, managers have not improved the service or the quality of care. Significantly, the registered person has not understood their responsibility to protect children. This ongoing failure puts children at ongoing risk.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/06/2019 Full Inadequate 03/07/2018 Full Good 30/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 30/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC471672 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— seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; 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; and seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)) 30/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the 30/09/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC471672 4 registered person to ensure— that staff— help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(viii)) 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 each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing,

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Requirement Due date

psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(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; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies, and that the premises used for the purposes of the home are

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Requirement Due date

30/09/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC471672 5 located so that children are effectively safeguarded; and that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(c)(d)) 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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development

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Requirement Due date

of the quality of care provided in the home; demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h)) 30/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that arrangements are in place to— ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority; that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)) 30/09/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC471672 6 Specifically, assess young people’s needs prior to admission and ensure group compatibility and placement success. The registered person must prepare and implement a policy

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Requirement Due date

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. 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 are, 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

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Requirement Due date

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, any concern about abuse or neglect of a child. (Regulation 34(1)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 30/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the missing child policy’) setting out— the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children from being absent without permission; and the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, so absent. Before implementing, or making an amendment which the registered person considers to be substantive to, the missing child policy, the registered person must— consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant 30/09/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC471672 7 person; and have regard to any relevant local authority or police protocols on missing children. (Regulation 34(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)) The registered person must ensure that— within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered

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Requirement Due date

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; 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(3)(b)(i)((ii)(c)) 30/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)) 30/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. The registered person must— maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37(1)(2)(a)(b)) This relates to maintaining the children’s register. 30/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced. The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44(1)(3)(5)) 30/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). When conducting the review, the registered person must 30/09/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC471672 8 consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46(1)(2)) This relates to ensuring that staff consult the police about the likelihood of children being drawn into gang crime and/or antisocial behaviour in the local area.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that any staff member such as ‘shift leader’ should have substantial relevant experience of working in a children’s home and have successfully completed their induction for the home in which they are employed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.21)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the placing authority’s desired required outcomes, recorded in their health plan, are the basis on which the registered person is expected to meet regulation 10(2)(a)(i) in the health and well-being standard for each looked- after child in their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.4)

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Recommendations

This relates to seeking advice from the placing authority named health professional to deliver their plan and secure an urgent review of medication by an appropriate health professional.

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Recommendations

 Ensure staff establish the child’s understanding of key information about living in the home and the expectations of their care in order to establish whether there are gaps in the child’s understanding. This should take into account the child’s abilities and capacity to understand and retain information and may be delivered in different formats according to the child’s communication and cognitive abilities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.8)

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Recommendations

Specifically, — communicate the placing authority’s plan for young people in a format they can understand. — communicate the rules about who can see the home’s CCTV images and children’s care records. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC471672 9

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Serenity Specialist Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First Floor, Dominion Court, 43 Station Road, Solihull, West Midlands B91 3RT

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Inspector

Christy Wannop, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC471672 10 to 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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