Children's Home run by Resicare Alliance Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 1 SC463639 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

This children’s home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children who have learning and/or physical difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2018.

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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: 13 February 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2019 Full Good 10/10/2017 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/09/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 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

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)) 06/03/2020

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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— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 06/03/2020

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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 if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). 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 (2)(a)(3)(d)) 06/03/2020

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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)) 06/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which— is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b)) This is with particular reference to the consistent implementation of agreed protocols for individual children. 06/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 4 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 06/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation 46 (1)) 06/03/2020

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Recommendations

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

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improvement to be good

There are shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home. This includes a lack of consistency in the implementation of safeguarding procedures. This has an impact on children’s day-to-day experiences and how well they are protected from the risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Staff use key-work sessions to seek children’s views and wishes. However, the majority of staff are not trained to use non-verbal methods of communication such as Makaton or Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECs). This reduces the effectiveness of these sessions.

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improvement to be good

Children benefit from care that reflects their individual and often complex needs. This enables most children to make good progress in all areas of their development. Staff work with children’s social workers and their families to make sure that internal care plans mirror the aims and objectives of the placing authorities. This means that children receive integrated care and support.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to understand the importance of education and children enjoy attending school. They work collaboratively with allocated teachers to ensure that school targets are transferable to the home environment. This provides children with a continual learning experience. When children do not have a school placement, staff support them Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 5 to participate in daily tutoring. This gives children a structured day that will help them to re-engage with formal education.

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improvement to be good

Children have complex health needs and learning disabilities. Staff devise comprehensive health plans in partnership with specialist nurses, consultants and children’s families, when appropriate. All staff have a good understanding of children’s health needs. This means that they deliver consistent healthcare that supports children’s development.

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improvement to be good

Relationships between children and staff are positive. Children enjoy spending time with staff and they participate in a varied range of educational and leisure activities. Staff help children to celebrate their abilities rather than focus on their disabilities. This helps children to grow in confidence and self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Some children have made a number of allegations since the last inspection. In these circumstances, the registered manager works with children’s social workers and the designated officer for the local authority to complete fact-finding investigations. However, there are occasions when the registered manager has failed to implement these individualised safeguarding procedures. For example, he does not consistently produce initial fact-finding investigation reports as required. The lack of clear records means it is not always possible for the registered manager to demonstrate the actions taken to keep children safe and protect them from harm.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager does not always notify Ofsted of serious or significant events in a timely manner. This means that Ofsted is unable to review the effectiveness of the actions taken by the home to promote children’s safety and welfare.

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improvement to be good

Managers review the location of the home. However, this risk assessment does not include local factors, such as open bodies of water, that may have an impact on children’s safety when they are away from the home.

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improvement to be good

Children benefit from comprehensive risk assessments and behaviour management plans. Staff ensure that these documents include the behaviours that children present that are symptomatic of their disabilities, such as some forms of self-harm. Clear risk reduction strategies mean that staff practice is consistent. As a result, children’s risks are well managed and continue to reduce.

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improvement to be good

Staff only use physical restraint as a last resort to prevent children from harming themselves or others. They use a range of strategies to try to de-escalate these incidents. Staff now ensure that records of these events include all relevant information. This enables the registered manager to review these incidents and ensure that the use of restraint is necessary and proportionate.

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improvement to be good

There are no incidents of children going missing from the home. Nevertheless, staff remain alert to this possibility. They are acutely aware of how children’s disabilities may increase their vulnerabilities when they are away from the home. Managers make sure Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 6 that risk assessments include strategies to reduce this potential, such as increased staffing levels.

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

The registered manager has the skills and experience necessary for this role and continues to work to complete the relevant level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare. He has successfully addressed the requirements raised at the last inspection.

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

The registered manager challenges other agencies when they fail to provide children with appropriate services or support. However, when these professionals do not respond to this challenge, the manager does not escalate his concerns. Subsequently, for one child this has led to an unacceptable delay in access to a suitable school placement.

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

Staff said that they feel supported in their role. Nevertheless, the majority of staff, including the registered manager, do not receive regular or practice-related supervision. Training programmes do not ensure that all staff have the skills or knowledge they need to support children or keep them safe. For example, despite completing online and face- to-face training in safeguarding, some staff were unable to speak with confidence regarding this area of practice.

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

Children’s complex behaviours and recent staff shortages mean that managers use temporary agency staff to work in the home. However, they do not always make sure that they check employment references, scrutinise employment histories or confirm basic details for these staff. This means that children may not be supported by staff deemed suitable to do so.

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

The registered manager regularly reviews the content and quality of children’s case files. This means that children’s internal support plans evolve to meet their changing needs and reflect their progress. Despite this, the registered manager does not use this information to evaluate the impact that the service has on outcomes for children or to identify actions to improve the service. The quality of care review lacks sufficient detail to support the ongoing development of the home.

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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. Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 7 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

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Information about this inspection

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: SC463639 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: SC463639 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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