Children's home run by Wrottesley Care Limited

Inspection report children‟s home: 2494881 1 Registered provider: Wrottesley Care Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for three young people who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post who is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager is on maternity leave. There is an interim manager in post providing oversight. The manager does not have a good understanding of one young person in placement. As a result, this young person has not always received coordinated care and support that promote her safety and welfare.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last inspection, six requirements were raised, two of which have been addressed. Managers now ensure that new staff receive an induction into the home and that there is a probationary process in place.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

However, insufficient action has been taken to meet four of the requirements raised at the last inspection. As a result, these requirements are repeated, and three compliance notices have been issued to the provider. Inspection report children‟s home: 2494881 2 Staff do not effectively safeguard young people. Staff have allowed one young person to have contact with an adult male, despite the known risk that he presents to her safety. Staff do not recognise these risks or take effective action to keep the young person safe. There is a lack of professional curiosity around safeguarding matters. In addition, managers and staff have not effectively challenged the placing authorities in respect of this risky individual.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager‟s planning for new admissions to the home is weak. Further consideration of the needs of young people who are new to the home alongside those who are already resident is required. Staff lack the skills and ability to meet the needs of the young people who live in the home. For example, one young person, who was being supervised by two staff, was able to self-harm.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

As a result of ineffective care planning, young people do not always experience positive or planned departures from the home. For example, one young person was removed from the home by the police, as staff were not able to keep him safe or manage the behaviours that he displayed.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

When young people go missing from home, staff do not follow missing-from-care protocols, and do not look for the young people or make adequate attempts to keep in touch with them by phone. Although independent return interviews are completed, staff have not followed risk management plans or identified strategies for disrupting the patterns of missing-from-home episodes. For example, one young person was absent from the home for three nights, and staff took insufficient action to confirm where she was staying and ensure that she was safe. Furthermore, staff do not look for the young person.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers have failed to respond to safeguarding incidents and have not reported these to the right professionals and agencies. A young person made an allegation that they had been physically assaulted by a member of staff. This allegation was not referred to the local authority or investigated by using locally agreed multi-agency safeguarding procedures. This is poor practice and does not ensure that young people are provided with the protection of a multi-agency consideration of their circumstances.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers continue to fail to ensure that young people are effectively protected by safe recruitment. Managers have failed to check the reason why a person who has previously worked with children and vulnerable adults had their employment ended.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There are shortfalls in the management of the oversight of the home. The staff roster does not accurately record the hours that staff have been at the home. This brings into question the validity of these records in the case of a complaint or investigation.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager‟s quality of care review fails to acknowledge the current Ofsted judgement. In addition, there is little reflection on incidents and the action plan fails to address requirements or identify areas for improvement in the quality of care. These omissions mean that the review fails to demonstrate accurately the quality of care offered at the Inspection report children‟s home: 2494881 3 home or what action is needed to make the required improvements.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good

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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)) 13/12/2019

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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— help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect; make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(ii)(v)) 13/12/2019

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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— 13/12/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 2494881 4 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; 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. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))*

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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. 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; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(d)) 13/12/2019

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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. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b))* 13/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‟s safety. The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children‟s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph. (Regulation 32(1)(2)(a))* 13/12/2019

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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; and 13/12/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 2494881 5 retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37(1)(2)(a)(b)(c)) This is in relation to maintaining a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the home, and a record of the actual rosters worked. (Schedule 4(3))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; a child protection enquiry involving a child is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii))) 13/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. In order to complete a quality of care review, the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home; its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45(1)(2(4)(a)(b)(c)) 13/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection. Inspection report children‟s home: 2494881 6 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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Wrottesley Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fairgate House Room S51, 205 Kings Road, Tyseley, Birmingham, West Midlands B11 2AA

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Inspector

Debbie Holder, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 2494881 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 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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