Children's Home run by Hand In Hand Childcare in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: 2510328 1 Registered provider: Hand in Hand Childcare 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 provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have suffered early childhood trauma. A private company owns and operates this home. The manager has not yet applied to register with Ofsted.

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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: this is the first inspection since the home was registered in April 2019.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

N/A, first inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 2510328 2

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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— understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(v)) 13/03/2020

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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; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(e)) 13/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(a)(b)) 13/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at least once every 6 months. After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (‘the quality of care review report’). The registered person must— 13/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2510328 3 supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45(1)(3)(4)(a))

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Recommendations

 Ensure that where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph, 5.15)

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improvement to be good

One young person is not in education. Staff do not provide him with constructive activities during the school day. As a result, he does not know what to expect out of his day when not attending school and it does not prepare him for a return to school. This lack of planning impacts on his learning and progress.

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improvement to be good

Relationships between young people are generally positive. However, some relationships between young people and staff are indifferent. For example, relief staff do not always provide good, consistent care. In one instance this led to poor supervision of both young people. This means that young people do not always receive good-quality care.

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improvement to be good

Young people are generally in good health. They choose to eat healthily, exercise and attend routine appointments. These good lifestyle choices promote young people’s physical and emotional health.

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improvement to be good

Young people express their views and wishes by using the home’s ‘Have Your Say’ book. This sharing of views, wishes and feelings helps young people to inform staff about what they think of the home and how they want to improve it.

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improvement to be good

Young people visit their friends and family. Staff provide additional support when supervision of any arrangements is necessary. As a result, young people strengthen their relationships with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide young people with a variety of activities in and out of the home to broaden their social experiences. As a result, young people spend more time out of the home and in the community than they did before. Inspection report children’s home: 2510328 4

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improvement to be good

The manager has failed to act on a concern about the conduct of an agency staff member. As a result, no investigation has taken place to establish whether there was any risk to young people. This lack of action by the manager compromises the safety of young people.

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding of young people’s triggers to behaviours that challenge. Rewards are offered as an incentive when young people behave well. This encourages young people to think about the consequences of their behaviour and to make positive choices. No children have been restrained since the home opened.

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improvement to be good

Since the home was registered, the manager has safely recruited additional staff. Staff undergo vigorous checks before they are recruited. This ensures that staff are safe to work with vulnerable young people.

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improvement to be good

Young people occasionally go missing from the home, but these incidents are reducing. Staff are vigilant in following young people’s individual protocols when they go missing. This prompt action by staff ensures that young people are found and returned home safely.

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improvement to be good

The home is well maintained and provides a safe environment for those who live, work and visit the home.

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

Since the home was registered in April 2019, the registered manager has resigned. A new manager has been appointed but has not yet applied to register with Ofsted. There has been a high turnover of staff since registration. Seven staff have left. Shortfalls in staffing have been covered by agency and the company’s own bank staff. As a result, young people do not always receive a good continuity of care.

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

The review of the quality of care has not been completed and sent to the regulator within the required timescales. This delay means that managers do not have a good overview of the strengths and needs of the service and this limits the development of the home. In addition, not sharing information with Ofsted hinders any response required by the inspector.

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

The statement of purpose has not been updated to reflect the current changes to the staffing arrangements. This means that anyone requesting the statement of purpose is not provided with the correct information about who is caring for children.

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

The manager provides good supervision for staff though individual and team meetings. This enables staff to reflect on their practice and development. However, staff are not provided or kept up to date with mandatory training. For example, some staff have not received training in fire safety, safeguarding, administration of medication, first aid, self- Inspection report children’s home: 2510328 5 harm or equality and diversity. This lack of training for staff compromises staff’s ability to provide a good quality of care to young people.

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

The manager actively challenges services when they are not meeting expected standards. This proactive approach by the manager ensures that young people are provided with support services to meet their specific needs.

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

Relationships between the manager and external professionals are good. Professionals speak well of the good communication and information-sharing between staff, the manager and themselves. As a result, partnership working ensures that young people remain central to the care they receive. Inspection report children’s home: 2510328 6

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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: 2510328 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hand in Hand Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 20 Birmingham Road, Walsall WS1 2LT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Rajvinder Sandhu

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Inspector

Michelle Spruce, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2510328 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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