Children's Home run by Harmony Childcare Residential Homes Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2495967 1 Registered provider: Harmony Childcare Residential Homes 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 provides care and accommodation for up to three young people with a variety of complex needs. A private provider operates the home. The registered manager is suitably experienced and is undertaking a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted inspected the service in July 2019. The home was judged inadequate. Ofsted issued three compliance notices. A monitoring visit took place on 9 August 2019 to review the compliance notices. All three compliance notices were met. Inspection report children’s home: 2495967 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/07/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 2495967 3

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Recommendations

 Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide nurturing care and support for the young person currently living in the home. Her day-to-day experiences are positive. This is because staff fully understand her individual needs. They make sure that internal care plans reflect the aims and objectives of the placing authority, and staff ensure that they provide care in line with these plans. This results in the young person receiving coordinated and effective support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is provided with access to a range of health services to ensure that her health needs are met. Although she sometimes refuses to attend appointments, staff do not give up. They re-book appointments and continually encourage attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use well-planned key-working sessions to talk through identified topics that are relevant to the care of the young person. Staff revisit topics with the young person that are important, for example giving up smoking and the need to have her immunisations. These discussions by staff help to reiterate to the young person how important it is to maintain good health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is making slow but steady progress in her education. She is achieving this regardless of the difficulties staff have faced trying to find her a suitable education placement. The young person is committed to improving her education and shows this when she works with her tutor. As a result, her chances to learn and to access education opportunities are improving.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide a range of social activities for the young person to enjoy. These opportunities help the young person’s social development and enable her to make new friends. As a result, her confidence improves.

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

The young person is protected from harm because staff understand her vulnerabilities and triggers to behaviour that have a potential to place her at risk of harm. As a result, there has been no incident that has required staff to use physical intervention.

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

Since the last full inspection, the young person has been missing from care once. Inspection report children’s home: 2495967 4 Robust procedures and good partnership working with other professionals mean that staff responded well to this incident. This reduces the risk of the young person coming to harm.

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

Staff offer rewards and praise to the young person to acknowledge her positive achievements. Staff implement consequences to help the young person to understand the impact of her behaviour on herself and other people. These are fair and proportionate.

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

The registered manager follows safer recruitment procedures. All staff are subject to robust employment checks. These appropriately assess and verify the suitability of staff to work in the home.

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

Staff do not monitor the temperature gauges in the fridge. The lack of monitoring does not ensure that food is being stored at the correct temperature. This has not had a detrimental effect on the young person to date, but if not addressed it may affect her health and well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home was registered in April 2019. The registered manager is undertaking a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has taken appropriate action to meet the three requirements raised at the last full inspection. Staff have improved their practice. The young person is better cared for because relationships between staff are stronger, and staff now understand their roles and responsibilities and are more child-focused.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know the strengths and weaknesses of the service. They regularly monitor and review what needs to improve and implement a workforce plan to ensure that targets are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager notifies Ofsted of any significant events in a timely manner. This sharing of information enables the regulator to monitor the service and be assured that the manager and staff have taken all necessary action to safeguard the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records are well maintained and reflect the young person’s life. The young person contributes to them on a regular basis. As a result, she understands what is written about her progress, risks and experiences.

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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. Inspection report children’s home: 2495967 5 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: 2495967 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Harmony Childcare Residential Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 9 Elstree Close, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY3 9QF

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Inspector

Michelle Spruce, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2495967 7 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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