Children's Home run by Stanfield Care Services Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258026 1

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Stanfield Care Children Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. The home provides care for two children with complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is working towards completing her level 5 diploma in leadership and management and was registered with Ofsted in May 2020.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged ‘requires improvement to be good’ at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judged that it had declined in effectiveness.

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring inspection was undertaken on 30 and 31 July 2020 due to safeguarding concerns. The purpose of the monitoring visit was to investigate these concerns. Inspectors did not review all requirements raised at the interim inspection. These will be reviewed at a future inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Ofsted did not physically visit the home. Instead, the inspectors gathered evidence in several different ways. This included talking to the manager, social workers, staff and the child living at the home. The manager also provided documents electronically for the inspectors to review.

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This monitoring visit

Staff and managers do not understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children. They do not follow the home’s safeguarding policy. Staff do not report allegations to the manager without delay. Managers do not consistently report allegations to the local authority designated officer within the required timescales. The registered manager told inspectors that the email to the designated officer got stuck in her outbox. However, the registered manager did not follow up on the lack of response from the designated officer to a safeguarding referral. This lack of prompt action does not promote children’s welfare. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258026 2 When children make allegations against staff, managers do not implement effective risk management measures while investigations are undertaken. These arrangements do not protect children or the members of staff subject to an

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This monitoring visit

Behaviour management records are poor. Staff do not record the location or give a detailed description of the techniques used to restrain children. The registered manager does not identify these shortfalls when she reviews incidents. In addition, she does not show professional curiosity in her evaluation of incidents. For example, the registered manager did not identify inconsistencies in the recording of injuries sustained by a child. She also does not assess the effectiveness of the use of restraint, when incidents occur. A lack of robust oversight of restraint incidents leaves children at potential risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

The manager does not keep up-to-date training records. Inspectors were provided with three different versions of the home’s training matrix. A lack of up-to-date and clear training records does not enable managers to plan for staff’s development.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not have the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the children living at the home. Four out of seven staff do not have up-to-date safeguarding training. In addition, staff are not trained in areas specific to the needs of individual children.

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This monitoring visit

Staff rosters are incomplete. They do not detail the full name of individuals working in the home. This lack of detail means that information about who has worked at the home, which may be required in the future, will not be easily understood.

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This monitoring visit

This inspection found a series of shortfalls around the quality of care. This resulted in six regulatory breaches. Three of these breaches resulted in compliance notices being served under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard), regulation 13 (leadership and management standard), and behaviour management policies and records).

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 20/11/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 13/08/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258026 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)) 13/09/2020

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; 13/09/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258026 4 take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))*

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13(1)(b)(2)(c)(h))* 13/09/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medication received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home.

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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 requirements are that—

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(1)(3)(d)) 13/09/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258026 5 The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which— is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse and neglect; and sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 34(1)(a)(b)(2)(b)) 13/09/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35(3)(a)(iii)(iv)(vii)* 13/09/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)(c)) 13/09/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258026 6 Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stanfield Care Children Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 6, Cuckoo Wharf, 435 Lichfield Road, Birmingham, Warwickshire B6 7SS

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Inspectors

Helen Malanaphy, social care inspector Patrick McIntosh, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258026 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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