Children's Home run by Osei Minkah Care Ltd in Wolverhampton

Inspection report children‟s home: 1277449 1 Registered provider: Osei Minkah Care Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This provider is registered to provide care and accommodation for five young people who have learning disabilities and/or mental disorders. The home is dual registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A qualified registered manager is in post.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/or the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: 1277449 2

p.1

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.

p.2

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met. (Regulation 10(1)(a))

p.2

Requirement Due date

This is in respect of medication records being accurate and up to date. 07/10/2019

p.2

Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— positive responses to other children and adults. (Regulation 11(1)(c)) 07/10/2019

p.2

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.2

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(iii)(iv)) 07/10/2019

p.2

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 to aspire to fulfil their potential, and promotes their welfare.

p.2

Requirement Due date

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 approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 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 of the quality of care provided in the home; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 07/10/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 1277449 3 (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(f)(h)) Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose.

p.2

Requirement Due date

Nothing in paragraph (5) or regulation 46 (review of premises) requires or authorises the registered person to contravene or not comply with— any conditions in relation to the registration of the registered person under Part 2 of the Care Standards Act 2000. (Regulation 16(5)(6)(b)) 07/10/2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

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 of the home’s premises— 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)(iii)(iv)) 07/10/2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

If the registered provider is an organisation, the organisation must ensure that the responsible individual undertakes such continuing professional development as is necessary to ensure that the responsible individual has the skills needed for supervising the management of the home.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered manager must undertake such continuing professional development as is necessary to ensure that the registered manager has the skills needed for managing the home. (Regulation 29(2)(4)) 07/10/2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The requirements are that— full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(1)(3)(d)) 07/10/2019

p.3

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)) 07/10/2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 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— the name of the child; details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; 07/10/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 1277449 4 a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

p.3

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; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

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)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(c)) 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. (Regulation 36(1)(a)) 07/10/2019

p.4

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— ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37(1)(2)(b)) 07/10/2019

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the following items, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner— records of the use of measures of control, discipline or restraint, children’s case records, other records. (Regulation 38(a)(h)(j)) 07/10/2019

p.4

Recommendations

 Ensure that young people live in an environment which meets their basic day to day needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Inspection report children‟s home: 1277449 5 This is the first full inspection since the home was registered with Ofsted in October 2018. Significant and widespread failings across all three judgement areas, including poor recording practices and ineffective leadership and managerial oversight, contribute to the inadequate judgement.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not consistently promote young people’s healthcare needs. For example, staff do not always offer young people their medication as prescribed. This has been left unchallenged despite significant gaps in the recording of medication, allowing poor practice to continue. Young people who smoke are not encouraged to stop or given information about the risks of smoking. This does not promote positive life choices and paves the way for poor health outcomes for young people as they progress into adulthood.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Overall, young people’s progress in education is limited. Some young people have been out of education for a significant period. Managers have provided a small amount of private tuition, and all young people have an educational placement identified for the start of the new term. Although this will hopefully improve young people’s educational experiences in the future, to date staff have not supported these well, and this has had a negative impact on young people’s learning.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Relationships between the young people are of variable quality and benefit. There is little evidence to show how staff help young people to develop positive relationships with each other. Play fighting between the young people is common. On one occasion, a young person became winded when he was kicked in the chest by another young person. Although staff intervened, there is little evidence of follow-up work being undertaken to address such behaviours.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Young people live in an environment which restricts their movement and limits their choices and experiences. Managers and staff lock away basic items such as plates and cutlery. In addition, the kitchen is locked and is only accessible when young people ask staff to open the door. Such restrictions are not routinely reviewed. This has resulted in these measures becoming common practice, rather than a response to risk, and this creates an institutionalised environment.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home would benefit from some redecoration to create a homelier atmosphere. Also, there are not enough dining chairs in the dining room for everyone to sit down at the same time and eat a meal together. This is as a result of managers failing to replace chairs after they have been damaged.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Key documents are missing from young people’s records, including local authority care plans and statutory review documents. This means that staff do not have access to up- to-date information about how young people should be cared for as detailed in their individual plans.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Evidence gathered demonstrates that young people do make some progress in their behaviour and presentation. For example, incidents of aggression and damage to Inspection report children‟s home: 1277449 6 property have reduced, and one young person’s emotional health has improved.

p.5

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

Leaders and managers do not have a clear record of safeguarding incidents, including physical interventions, young people going missing from care and allegations against staff. On one occasion, a young person was restrained using an unapproved hold. The young person hit their head during the incident. Safeguarding procedures were not followed in a timely manner. Poor managerial oversight of the incident failed to identify exactly what had happened and what the outcomes of the incident were, and potentially poor practice by staff was not addressed. This was a missed opportunity to learn lessons and to improve care practice.

p.6

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

It is not known how often staff restrain young people. Restraint records are not kept in one place, and there is no set template for staff to document when and how they have restrained a young person. This means that most of the information required by regulation is missing. Additionally, staff do not record incidents in a sufficiently explicit manner. This leaves the reader unclear if a restraint has taken place or not. For example, when two young people were wrestling / fighting staff ‘intervened’ and ‘split’ the young people up. It is not clear how staff stopped the young people from fighting and if they had to physically intervene. Poor recording allows for different interpretations of incidents and leaves young people vulnerable to poor practice that is left unchallenged.

p.6

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

There has been a reduction in the number of young people going missing or being absent from home. This is only known because professionals reported this to the inspector during the inspection. Professionals reported positively on the staff’s s response when young people go missing or are absent from home. However, the quality of documentation at the home relating to young people going missing or being absent from home is poor. It is not always clear what actions staff have taken, including whether young people have the opportunity to talk to someone independent about what happened. Information is disjointed, and there is no clear record of the number of times young people go missing or from home or are absent without permission. This poor practice is not challenged by managers. The consequence of this is that any emerging patterns and trends are not considered, or used to improve practice and promote young people’s s safety.

p.6

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

Staff training records do not evidence that staff have the appropriate training to meet the needs of the young people they care for. Basic training such as safeguarding young people, internet safety, behaviour management and restraint training is not evident on the training logs viewed by the inspector. A lack of trained and knowledgeable staff leaves young people vulnerable to poor practice and at risk of potential harm.

p.6

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

New staff are not safely recruited. Records lack the required detail, such as proof of qualifications, references and a full employment history. This means that managers do not know if the staff are appropriate adults to work with young people.

p.6

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

Staff do not undertake good-quality key-work sessions with young people to address current and past behaviours. Staff do not support young people to recognise the consequences of their behaviour. These are missed opportunities to help young people Inspection report children‟s home: 1277449 7 understand how they can keep themselves safe.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager and responsible individual have been in post since the home was registered with Ofsted in October 2018. Prior to this, the home was solely registered with CQC; it is now dual registered.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager and responsible individual have not demonstrated that they have the skills to manage the home effectively or safely. Managers have failed to respond appropriately to safeguarding incidents. They have failed to demonstrate and ensure that young people’s needs are met, and that they are kept safe from harm.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers and staff do not deliver the care that is outlined in the home’s statement of purpose to ensure that young people achieve the best possible outcomes. Furthermore, the registered manager was unable to demonstrate that all young people admitted to the home had been admitted in accordance with the home’s conditions of registration.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Ineffective monitoring systems do not enable managers to understand and respond effectively to issues in the home. Although managers read staff records, they fail to identify and address widespread shortfalls. As a result, potentially poor practice goes unchecked and is not responded to in a timely manner. Managers and staff do not keep young people’s records, including significant events, up to date. This means that managers cannot ensure that staff follow procedures that help to keep young people safe. In addition, information is stored in several different places, making it difficult for staff to access.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has an independent visitor who undertakes quality assurance visits each month. Detailed reports are provided to the managers, and recommendations to improve the quality of care are made. Despite the independent visitor making valid recommendations similar to these inspection findings, progress to make improvements has been too slow.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff do not have all of the skills and experience they need to care for young people without clear and ongoing management direction. This does not promote the provision of good-quality care of young people and does not promote their welfare.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff report that they do have regular supervision. However, the registered manager was unable to demonstrate that staff at all levels, including herself, have supervision. Staff files sampled by the inspector show no evidence of most staff having had supervision since the home was registered in October 2018. In addition, managers do not debrief staff following incidents, such as restraints. This means that staff do not get help to review their practice, or at the very least there is no record of this happening. The absence of such critical information in staff records is of serious concern and further demonstrates the lack of effective monitoring systems.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Professionals the inspector spoke to talked positively about the home and the progress Inspection report children‟s home: 1277449 8 young people make. The home’s documentation and record-keeping do not reflect this.

p.7

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.

p.8

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’.

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Osei Minkah Care Ltd

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Trilogy Suite, 9 Church Street, Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire WV11 1SR

p.8

Inspector

Lisa O’Donovan, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1277449 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9