Children's Home run by Resicare Alliance Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children‟s home: 2503598 1 Registered provider: Aston Children’s Care 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

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children and young people who have emotional and social difficulties. The home is privately owned.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered by Ofsted on 20 March 2019. The registered manager left on 15 May 2019. A new manager is in post and has made an application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 November 2019

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 18 to 19 September 2019 and 1 to 2 October 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: 2503598 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/09/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report children‟s home: 2503598 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

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who— take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— keep the children’s guide and the home’s complaints procedure under review and seek children’s comments before revising either document. (Regulation 7 (1)(c)(2)(c)) Specifically, ensure that after consulting the children about any revisions to the children’s guide, the revised document also contains information about how children can make a complaint in line with the home’s complaints procedure, how they can access advocacy support or how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. 31/01/2020

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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; and help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1)(a)(i)(ii)) Specifically, ensure that staff adequately monitor children’s internet and social media use and work with them to recognise potential online risks to their safety. 31/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children‟s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. 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. (Regulation 16 (1)(5)) 31/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against 31/01/2020 Inspection report children‟s home: 2503598 4 the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c))

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Recommendations

 Ensure that there is a workforce plan in place, which can fulfil the requirements of regulation 16 schedule 1. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home’s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next 6 months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations

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Recommendations

including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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improvement to be good

At the last inspection, Ofsted judged the home to be inadequate. Significant and widespread shortfalls placed children at risk of serious harm. Since that inspection, managers and staff have taken sufficient action to improve the quality of care that children receive and provide them with a safe and nurturing environment.

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improvement to be good

The focus of these improvements is the amendment of internal policies and procedures, the review of staff training programmes and the introduction of revised care planning and risk assessment processes. However, these changes are very recent. The potentially positive impact that these developments may have on children’s progress is untested at this time.

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improvement to be good

There have been no new admissions to the home since the last inspection. This means that staff are able to focus on meeting the needs of the children currently living in the home. Managers now ensure that staff can access all of the relevant and necessary information that they require to provide children with care that reflects their individual needs. Staff now complete relevant training that reflects children’s needs. This means that staff now have the skills to help children to make progress in all areas of their development.

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improvement to be good

At the last inspection, the manager was unclear about the primary needs of one child. He was unable to confirm whether these were in line with the statement of purpose for the home. This placement remains under review. In preparation for the next admission, Inspection report children‟s home: 2503598 5 the manager has revised the admissions risk assessment. Consequently, he is now able to match the needs of the children already living in the home with those children who will move in.

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improvement to be good

The manager has recently introduced a range of new internal care planning documents. These now incorporate all available information relating to children’s risks, their health needs, educational needs and the background information provided by their placing authorities. This allows managers to plan children’s care and support and detail how staff will meet these needs. They are able to identify goals and targets for children to work towards. Children are aware of the content of these plans and work with staff to review their progress. This is a new initiative and the effectiveness of this change is not yet fully known.

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improvement to be good

All children now have suitable school or college placements. Staff work with key teaching staff to address any barriers to learning that children face. As a result, children said that they mostly enjoy school and understand the importance of regular attendance.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the manager has addressed shortfalls in meeting children’s health needs. For example, staff now administer prescription medication in line with specific guidance when children are away from the home. Furthermore, a developing partnership between the home and a local smoking cessation clinic means that children are able to access the support they need to reduce their tobacco intake. This promotes children’s physical health and well-being and helps them to take age-appropriate responsibility for their own health.

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improvement to be good

Relationships between children and staff are positive. Children said that they are listened to, feel cared for and are involved in decisions about their care. They enjoy a range of activities with staff and each other. This means they are able to pursue their hobbies and interests. This helps them to grow in confidence.

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improvement to be good

The home remains clean and well maintained. Children’s bedrooms were recently redecorated in a style of their choice.

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improvement to be good

The manager now makes sure that children’s risk assessments include all known risks, and incorporate the potential for children to go missing from the home. These revised documents include strategies for staff to use to manage and reduce risks. Staff discuss these with children to help them to understand how their actions and behaviours may have an impact on their safety and the safety of others. However, this is a very new initiative. At this time, the effectiveness of these improvements to protect children from harm, and help them to keep themselves safe, has not been tested.

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improvement to be good

Managers update children’s risk assessments following any incident of concern. This means that staff are provided with up-to-date information and children now benefit from staff implementing a consistent approach to managing their risks. As a result of this Inspection report children‟s home: 2503598 6 improvement, children’s risky and challenging behaviours have reduced. Nevertheless, staff do not consider the risks children face when using the internet or social media accounts. They do not monitor children’s internet use or provide information or guidance on how to keep themselves safe online. To date, this has not had any direct impact on children, but if not addressed has the potential to place children at risk of exploitation and harm.

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improvement to be good

There have been very few incidents of restraint since the last inspection. The introduction of a debrief record supports staff to reflect on these incidents. This enables the manager to consider the effectiveness of this approach to managing children‟s behaviours and to make sure that physical restraint is only used as a last resort to protect children from harm.

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improvement to be good

Managers have revised the home’s policies and procedures about the protection of children. These now reflect the most current Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 guidance. This enables staff to keep their knowledge up to date. Staff training relating to children’s safety now includes sessions relating to self-harm and child sexual and criminal exploitation. Consequently, staff are better able to recognise and respond to these risk factors.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there has been one allegation of abuse. On this occasion, the manager referred this to the designated officer for the local authority and the matter was investigated. However, he did not notify Ofsted of this event as required. This means that Ofsted was unable to review the appropriateness of the actions taken to protect children from harm.

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improvement to be good

Senior managers have taken action to ensure that staff recruitment files now include all necessary information. They verify employment references and investigate any gaps in employment histories. This improvement means that children are supported by suitable adults.

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improvement to be good

The manager has now appropriately assessed the suitability of the home‟s location. This includes details of community facilities for children, local crime statistics and information relating to transport links. As a result, staff are aware of local factors that may influence children‟s safety and well-being when they are in the community.

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

The manager has been in post since July 2019 and has applied to register with Ofsted. Since the last inspection, he has taken action to address eight of the 12 requirements and four of the six recommendations made at that time. A further recommendation has been raised at this inspection.

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

The manager has taken some steps to revise the statement of purpose. For example, key information about the home is now up to date and child focused. However, this still makes reference to providing care for children that is informed by a recognised therapeutic approach. The home does not provide this service. Inspection report children‟s home: 2503598 7 Staff have not involved children in the revision of the children’s guide. This document does not include sufficient information regarding how children can make a complaint in line with the home’s complaints procedure, how they can access advocacy support or how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. This means that children do not have easy access to appropriate information about the home.

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

The manager has yet to produce a workforce plan to support the development of the staff team. This means that he does not have a good overview or understanding of staff members’ learning and development needs or a strategy in place to meet these.

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

An independent person continues to visit the home each month. Ofsted now receives reports of these visits in a timely manner. Internal monitoring systems to review the quality of care provided by the service are in their infancy. The most recent quality of care review does not sufficiently evaluate how the service supports children’s progress. This impacts on the capacity for the service to continue to improve.

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

The manager continues to provide all staff with regular formal supervision. The structure of these sessions now includes the opportunity for staff to reflect on children’s progress and their own practice, and to consider any safeguarding concerns.

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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

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: 2503598 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aston Children’s Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 181 Penn Road, Wolverhampton WV3 0EQ

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Inspector

Jo Stephenson, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 2503598 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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