Children's Home run by CareTech Community Services Limited in Dudley

Inspection report children’s home: SC483662 1 SC483662 Registered provider: CareTech Community Services Limited

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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 short-break service provides care and accommodation for up to six young people who have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. The service is privately owned and forms part of a large social care organisation. The registered manager was registered with Ofsted in July 2017 and is appropriately qualified and experienced for the role. She is currently absent from the home, and the deputy manager is in day-to- day charge of the home, with the support of a new senior manager.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 18 to 19 December 2019

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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

Date of last inspection: 22 October 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC483662 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/10/2019 Full Inadequate 10/12/2018 Full Good 16/01/2018 Full Good 09/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC483662 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— develop positive relationships with them; engage with them; and 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— ensure that staff— help each child to express views, wishes and feelings. (Regulation 7(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(ii)) 31/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(c)) 31/01/2020

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home was judged inadequate at the last inspection due to widespread failures in safeguarding and poor and ineffective monitoring of the service. Managers and staff have worked hard to address shortfalls identified at the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has not received any complaints from parents in relation to staff’s ability to follow young people’s care plans. Staff are now following young people’s care plans meticulously. As a result, they are providing young people with good-quality individualised care. Young people are making progress and enjoying their short-break stays. This gives parents peace of mind that their children will be adequately looked after during their stay at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is now more welcoming and homelier. The hallway has been redecorated and is bright and warm. Sensory toys have been added to the walls, which young people love to play with. All young people’s bedrooms have soft furnishings, and most have been redecorated with themed wallpaper. The bedrooms now provide a cosy environment Inspection report children’s home: SC483662 4 where young people can relax and enjoy their own personal space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The managers have clear plans to refurbish the sensory room to ensure that this will soon be accessible for all wheelchair users. Consequently, all young people will soon benefit from having independent access to all the facilities and activities in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people continue to experience fun activities at the home and in the community. They are going out for walks and meals, they go shopping and trampolining, undertake arts and crafts and have recently enjoyed a visit from Santa Claus. Young people are enjoying activities that they would not ordinarily experience and are forming positive friendships with staff and peers. They are developing good social and independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff continue to manage young people’s transitions into the home very well. Young people enjoy tea visits with staff and other young people before they stay overnight, which helps them to familiarise themselves with the home environment, and they quickly settle at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Senior managers have effectively challenged partner agencies that were not fulfilling their obligations towards young people’s care plans. This has helped to prevent drift and delay in transition planning for some young adults. Young adults and their families are clearer about their future plans, including transitions into adult provisions. This helps to reduce any anxieties families and young adults might have about their future care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people mostly have good opportunities to express their wishes and feelings through spending one-to-one good-quality time with staff. However, not all young people have been having regular key-work sessions and young people’s meetings. As a result, some young people do not have consistent opportunities to express their wishes and feelings and to be actively involved in making decisions about the day-to-day running of the home.

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

Restraint practice is now compliant with regulation and is used as a last resort to keep young people and others around them safe. Young people receive detailed debriefs to ensure that they have the opportunity to express their wishes and feelings about the restraint and raise any issues of concern. Staff also receive a detailed debrief, which looks at triggers of the restraint, what worked well and any learning to improve practice. This helps to keep young people safe.

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

Managers ensure that all safer recruitment processes are followed so that only safe adults care for the young people.

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

Staff and the managers have decluttered all young people’s wardrobes and removed all potential health and safety hazards. They ensure that all food in the fridge is appropriately labelled with use-by dates. This ensures that children are protected from any avoidable health hazards. Inspection report children’s home: SC483662 5 Due to young people’s complex needs, staff and the managers do not use any negative sanctions. They are patient and nurturing and speak with young people about their behaviour to help them to learn and improve their behaviours. Young people told the inspector that they feel happy and safe staying at the home.

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

Staff are aware of safeguarding policies and procedures, which support them to know how to keep young people safe. No young people have gone missing from the home or raised any complaints.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are aware of the service’s strengths and areas for improvement. They are ambitious and have a clear vision of where they want the service to be to further improve the quality of care provided to young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior managers have made significant changes in the monitoring and evaluation of the service through the introduction of effective auditing tools. Consequently, the staff and managers have met all requirements raised at the last inspection. Staff and managers are now working in accordance with the home’s statement of purpose and meeting the young people’s holistic needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive specialist training, which enables them to support and meet young people’s complex health needs. Staff receive regular good-quality supervision and have a safe environment in which to discuss their professional development, training and well-being. They feel valued and part of the team. However, not all staff have received their annual appraisal. This is a missed opportunity to discuss staff’s performance and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have a plan to engage partner agencies and young people better so that they can acquire feedback, which they can use to improve the service and help young people to develop and progress further. They will be holding an open day with partner agencies, senior managers and parents when they will give them a tour of the home, have discussions about the vision for the service and recent inspections and their development plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents reported that staff provide a fundamental service which supports them and their families and young people. They reported that staff provide a second home and family for their children. Young people look forward to their short-break stay and are happy when they return to the care of their parents.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC483662 6 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: SC483662 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: CareTech Community Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: CareTech Community Services Limited, 5th Floor Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Rumbi Mangoma, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC483662 8 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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