Children's Home run by Progress Children’s Services Ltd in Coventry

Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 1 SC064117 Registered provider: Progress Children’s Services Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children and young people who have physical disabilities and/or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is applying to register with Ofsted. She holds a level 5 qualification.

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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: 10 October 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not judged

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/10/2019 Interim Not judged 02/05/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/04/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if–

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(e)) 30/03/2020

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Recommendations

 All children must have access to appropriate advocacy support, and where possible this should be provided by a person that the child chooses. Looked-after children are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) In particular, ensure that children’s risk assessments fully reflect their risks and

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Recommendations

are kept updated.  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) In particular, ensure that all staff receive training in line with children’s needs.  All children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely whilst they remain in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) In particular, ensure that internal plans fully reflect the progress of each child. Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home has reopened following a period of extensive refurbishment. Two young people currently live in the home. Both were admitted in October 2019. The environment is bright, welcoming and personalised. It has been refurbished to a high standard. As a result, young people live in a home that they can feel proud of.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people build strong and trusted relationships with staff, who know them well. They benefit from receiving personalised care in line with their needs. Staff provide calm and nurturing care. This helps young people to settle and develop a sense of belonging. As a result, young people make notable progress in a range of areas. A parent told the inspector, ‘I have seen huge changes in him [young person]. Overall, there are a lot less of his difficult behaviours. He is happy and that’s all that matters.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Enthusiastic and passionate staff provide young people with a range of enjoyable experiences and activities. For example, young people enjoy playing basketball, visiting local shops and bowling. Staff help young people to develop interests and hobbies. For example, one young person, a keen cook, enjoys preparing meals in the home. Another young person enjoys regular horse-riding trips. These experiences bring young people joy and happiness.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s physical and learning disabilities are not seen as a barrier to independence. Staff support young people to develop a range of important life skills. For example, young people use public transport, complete shopping tasks and develop their personal care. Staff take pride in young people’s achievements and celebrate these with them. This helps young people to feel increasingly confident and mature.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One young person attends school and has excellent attendance rates. He is making good progress in a range of areas. Another young person currently receives support from a tutor in the home. The registered manager has escalated her concerns about this young person’s lack of an education placement. As a result, a school place has now been identified. Until he can start there, the staff provide this young person with a range of educational activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s health needs are known and clearly considered in their internal plans. Staff work closely with key healthcare professionals to meet the complex needs of young people. The registered manager organises specialist staff training to ensure that young people receive sensitive and safe medical care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people to participate in their day-to-day care. For example, young people’s meetings provide an opportunity to plan activities and menus. Staff use a range of communication aids and prompts to help young people to express their views. One young person works alongside staff to plan his week. This inclusive approach helps young people to understand and take ownership of their care. Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 5

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

Staff reward young people for positive behaviour. They provide them with frequent guidance to help them to manage challenging behaviours. Staff use innovative approaches to de-escalate situations. For example, a recently introduced yellow and red card system is helping a young person to regulate his emotions. The registered manager analyses incidents to ensure that their triggers are understood and the strategies reviewed. As a result, incidents of challenging behaviour continue to reduce.

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

Young people receive targeted support to help them to understand how to keep safe. Regular key-work sessions provide them with the opportunity to reflect on and learn from challenging incidents. A young person has developed a greater insight into the importance of personal space and safe touching.

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

Staff administer and manage medication safely. A team leader takes lead responsibility for medication procedures. Robust practice reduces the potential for medication errors and ensures that young people’s health needs are safely met.

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

The registered manager has developed effective and inclusive staff recruitment procedures. For example, young people decide which questions will form part of the interview process. In addition, thorough vetting of potential employees helps to protect young people from having unsafe adults working with them.

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

Overall, young people’s risks are known and managed by staff. In general, staff provide young people with high levels of support and supervision. However, on one occasion a young person was able to briefly leave the home unsupervised. Staff quickly located the young person and returned him safely. The registered manager has reviewed this incident and improved the procedures for staff’s supervision of young people.

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

Staff understand the risks associated with each young person. They provide informed and proactive care to manage possible risks. Overall, young people’s risk assessments are informative and provide staff with clear guidance to manage risk. However, one young person’s risk assessment was out of date and did not reflect the agreed staff approach to managing his challenging behaviour. This shortfall could impact on the registered manager’s ability to review the effectiveness of strategies to keep young people safe. In addition, neither young person has access to an independent advocate. The registered manager plans to address this shortfall imminently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is passionate about the young people in her care. She has worked hard to recruit and develop the staff team. This means that staff practice continues to evolve and improve over time. As a result, young people receive good care that helps them to make notable progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective monitoring systems support the registered manager to identify strengths and areas of development. She compiles monthly reports which focus on key aspects of care. Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 6 The registered manager also undertakes regular audits of young people’s files. She strikes a good balance between staff challenge and support. Staff benefit from this reflective and encouraging approach, and a member of staff told the inspector: ‘The manager has been fantastic. She supports me emotionally and with practical aspects of the role. I can speak to her at any time.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, staff benefit from a good training programme that equips them with the knowledge and skills to meet young people’s needs. However, the inspection identified some gaps in training. The impact of this shortfall is lessened, as staff have already gained a range of relevant experiences and skills prior to commencing their role. The registered manager has plans to address all training gaps imminently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people’s internal plans are detailed and highly individualised. The registered manager has worked hard to gather key information from a range of professionals. Staff use their extensive knowledge of young people to continually update plans and set new targets. However, young people’s plans do not capture their progress. This shortfall is, in part, due to the continued embedding of an electronic recording system.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a strong advocate for young people. She challenges professionals effectively if there are shortfalls in their care. Her passionate and determined approach ensures that young people achieve positive outcomes. For example, the registered manager has worked hard to put a clear transition plan in place for one young person. As a result, he has enjoyed visiting his new home and feels prepared for his move.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, the registered manager works well with a range of agencies. This ensures that young people receive well-thought-out and consistent care. Feedback from professionals is generally positive and indicative of the good care that young people receive. However, the registered manager does not always send notifications of significant events to the appropriate agencies. As a result, external agencies cannot provide oversight and guidance to ensure that the staff learn from events. Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 7

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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 difference 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: SC064117 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Progress Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Progress House, 127 Millfields Road, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire WV4 6JG

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Inspector

Gareth Leckey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 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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