Children's home run by Constant Child Care Limited in Walsall

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 1 SC368032

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Constant Child Care Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to three children and young people aged between seven and 17, irrespective of gender, who have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home on 21 February 2020. An interim manager has been in post since 21 February 2020 and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged as declined in effectiveness at the interim inspection on 2 October 2019. Ofsted issued the provider with four compliance notices in relation to: regulation 12, the protection of children standard; regulation 13, the leadership and management standard; regulation 21, relating to privacy and access; and regulation 35 relating to behaviour management policies and records, of the ‘Children’s homes (England) regulations 2015’.

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This monitoring visit

Following this inspection, a monitoring visit was undertaken on 29 November 2019, to ensure that managers had taken necessary action to address the shortfalls identified at the interim inspection. Ofsted found that the provider had taken sufficient action to meet the required steps identified in the four compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken following concerns raised with Ofsted about the quality of care provided to young people.

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This monitoring visit

At this inspection, no young people were living at the home. Two young people have moved into and on from the home since the last monitoring inspection. One young person moved on from the home in a positive and planned way in line with her care plan, after a short stay at the home. The other young person moved on sooner than Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 2 anticipated, and her experience was not positive. She moved on quickly, following an incident at the home.

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This monitoring visit

When new young people come to live at the home, managers do not always carefully consider risk. In addition, they fail to obtain sufficient information to assess whether staff have the necessary skills and experience to be able to meet young people’s complex needs. In respect of one young person, managers and staff had not had sight of a key document, which set out requirements designed to help staff to keep her safe from harm. In addition, the impact risk assessment was weak. As a result of poor care planning, managers and staff are ill equipped and unprepared to provide good levels of support to keep young people safe from harm.

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This monitoring visit

Three members of staff, including the manager, have left the organisation since the last inspection. The provider has needed to rely heavily on agency staff to care for young people. Two agency staff members no longer work at the home because of an investigation into their conduct. A lack of sufficient core staff and staff without the necessary skills mean that young people do not receive consistent care.

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This monitoring visit

The internal monitoring systems used by managers are not effective. For example, managers do not ensure that, together with staff, they consistently review and update young people’s risk assessments. For example, information about a young person’s behaviour following incidents was not included in the young person’s risk assessments. In addition, these documents did not contain clear guidance to staff. As a result, staff lacked knowledge and understanding about how to manage and reduce all known risks to promote the young person’s welfare.

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This monitoring visit

Managers and staff lock some internal and all external doors as a way of managing young people’s behaviour. Managers do not review this approach to ensure that such strategies are proportionate and necessary to keep young people safe. For young people living at the home, this places unnecessary restrictions on their ability to move freely around the home and garden.

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This monitoring visit

When staff accompanied a young person in the community, they did not understand their role and responsibility to supervise her closely. Consequently, the young person was able to run off. She subsequently went missing from home for two nights with an unknown person. The young person later disclosed that she had come to harm while away from the home, and a police investigation is under way.

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This monitoring visit

The new manager is taking some steps to review staff training. However, only four out of 10 staff members are qualified to the level 3 diploma in residential childcare or equivalent. In addition, at least one member of staff has not completed their level 3 qualification within the required timescale. Consequently, there is not a good proportion of staff who are suitably qualified, experienced and skilled to care for young people. Furthermore, managers do not ensure that those undertaking the qualification complete it in a timely way. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 3 Staff do not receive regular supervision. Managers have failed to ensure that all new staff receive reflective supervision every two weeks as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. This is a missed opportunity to help staff to reflect on their practice and the needs of the young people assigned to their care.

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This monitoring visit

Managers are in the process of improving the quality of the home environment following some damage sustained during an incident with a young person. This is work in progress to ensure that the home is welcoming and comfortable throughout.

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This monitoring visit

Two compliance notices have been issued as a result of this inspection

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 02/10/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 01/05/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/08/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 4

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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 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— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(v))* 13/07/2020

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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— 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 has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(b)(2)(c)(d)(e)(f)) 13/07/2020

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14(1)(a))* 13/07/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises— 13/07/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 5 is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate, is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. 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— the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. The relevant date is— 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 in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)) 13/07/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development; receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience employees. (Regulation 33(4)(a)(b)) 13/07/2020

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Many children placed in homes may undergo a difficult transition and what should be simple aspects of their care take on a substantial significance in this context. Staff should provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming, supportive, and which provides appropriate boundaries in relation to their behaviour. Homes must also meet children’s basic day to day needs and Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 6 physical necessities. Staff should seek to meet the child’s basic needs in the way a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met – doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7) In particular, ensure that all necessary repairs are completed and the home

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Recommendations

environment is welcoming to young people.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Constant Child Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Parkside Court, Greenhough Road, Lichfield, Staffordshire WS13 7FE

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Inspector

Patrick McIntosh, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 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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Inspector

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