Children's home run by Absolute Children’s Care Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2525807 1 Registered provider: Absolute Children’s Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home that provides care and accommodation for up to four children or young people who have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in July 2019 and holds his level 4 qualifications in leadership and management.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2525807 2

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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

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)(6)(a)(b)) 20/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and are kept up to date.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 01/05/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2525807 3

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person is responsible for ensuring that each child’s day to day health and well-being needs are met. Staff should work to make the children’s home an environment that supports children’s physical, mental and emotional health, in line with the approach set out in the home’s Statement of Purpose. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)  The registered person is responsible for deciding what each review should focus on, based on the specific circumstances of the home at that particular time and

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Recommendations

any areas of high risk to the children that the home is designed to care for, such as missing or exploitation. They will also consider what information or data recorded in the home will form part of the evidence base for their analysis and conclusions. There is no expectation that the registered person will review the home against every part of the Quality Standards every six months – registered persons should use their professional judgement to decide which factors to focus on. 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) Inspection report children’s home: 2525807 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first inspection since its registration in July 2019.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people love living at this home. One young person told the inspector, ‘It’s the happiest I’ve ever been.’ Hugs are given freely, and young people feel listened to and valued. As a result, young people make good progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment enables young people to feel relaxed. The home is well furnished and includes lots of modern gadgets. For example, it has a picture that changes colour and plays chart music, and a dining room table that can change into a pool table. Young people are helped to personalise their bedrooms to reflect their individual tastes. As a result of all these features, young people feel proud to bring their friends to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy a range of new experiences. For example, one young person has had the opportunity to drive a Bentley and has been given responsibility to care for a bearded dragon. Other young people regularly go ice skating and enjoy playing laser tag. These experiences help young people to have positive childhood memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people develop their independence skills at a pace that reflects their individualised needs. These skills include, when young people are feeling ready, doing their own washing, managing their own bank accounts and using public transport .

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All young people attend school or college, and/or training. This is despite young people previously being out of education for long periods of time. One young person has been helped to secure an apprenticeship in his chosen career.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s paperwork is written in a child-focused way. However, despite staff being knowledgeable about young people’s care needs these details are not always captured in young people’s care planning records. Some statutory paperwork is also missing from young people’s records.

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

Young people’s vulnerabilities reduce. For example, one young person came to the home with the risk of gang affiliation; this is no longer a concern. Another young person who used to go missing from care regularly no longer goes missing. The young person commented to the inspector, ‘Why would I want to go missing from here?’

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

Staff receive training on safeguarding. This includes acquiring knowledge about risks associated with radicalisation, extremism, child sexual exploitation and ‘Prevent’. Inspection report children’s home: 2525807 5 Staff use unique ways to help young people to understand their rights. For example, the registered manager has had some simple video cartoons made to help young people to understand what would happen if they went missing from the home and how to make a complaint.

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

Regular health and safety checks are carried out. However, these are not always recorded. For example, there is no record to show that the fire doors are checked to ensure that they remain in good working order. Two young people currently smoke. Although staff try hard to reduce young people’s dependence on smoking, there is no safe system in place for when young people have smoked a cigarette to ensure that the cigarette is discarded safely outside .

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

When appointing new staff, the registered manager has not consistently followed safe recruitment practice. For example, not enough checks are carried out to find out the reason why a person left their previous employment when they had worked with children and/or vulnerable adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is high. Staff state that they feel supported by each other and the registered manager. As a result, no staff have left the home. This has helped to provide young people with consistent, high-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from reflective supervision and the support of a therapist who helps the staff to develop their therapeutic approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are aspirational for young people and want to help them to achieve their goals. Whether this be to own a motorbike or to visit friends, staff go that extra mile to help young people to fulfil their wishes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All professionals are complimentary about the service. The inspector was told that communication is excellent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has submitted to Ofsted his first quality assurance report about the service. Although he has a clear plan for the future of the service, the report does not yet meet the quality standards for children’s homes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Two members of staff have not gained their level 3 diploma in residential childcare within the necessary timescale. However, all staff are knowledgeable and understand the young people’s needs well. Inspection report children’s home: 2525807 6

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 2525807 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Absolute Children’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 142 West Malvern Road, Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 4NJ

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Inspector

Louise Battersby, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2525807 8 to 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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