Children's home run by Archways Care Limited in Wolverhampton

Assurance visit report: SC061837 1 SC061837

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Information about this children’s home

The home is part of a small organisation. The home can accommodate up to four children who have had adverse childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager was registered with Ofsted in July 2020. She is in the process of completing her Level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 18 December 2019

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Requires improvement to be good

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit. Assurance visit report: SC061837 2

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The care of children

Children feel happy living in the home and have developed good and trusting relationships with staff. Staff listen to children’s views and have engaged them in a range of activities. During the period of social restriction due to Covid-19 (coronavirus), children have been going for walks, doing art and playing board games. After restrictions were lifted, children have enjoyed further activities with staff, such as, going to the gym, horse riding and fishing. Staff have continued to work with children to help ensure their health needs are met. This has included several discussions around the dangers of smoking and drug misuse.

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The care of children

The manager and staff team advocate well for children. They support children to remain in contact with those who are important to them by working with children and their families to build positive relationships.

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The care of children

Staff have been proactive in supporting children in their education throughout this period of COVID-19 restrictions. They have engaged children in home tutoring and online training. As a result, children continue to make progress and have successfully transitioned back into school at the start of the school term.

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The care of children

The home has been redecorated and is now a warm and comfortable home for children to live in. Consequently, children now live in a home that gives them a sense of belonging and self-worth.

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The safety of children

Despite some significant challenges from young people, staff have dealt with incidents appropriately. This has ensured children’s safety. Placing social workers and police feel that children are safe in the home and that staff do all they can to safeguard children in their care.

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The safety of children

Staff engage with children to help them understand boundaries. Frequent conversations with children help them to understand how to keep themselves safe from harm.

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The safety of children

On one occasion, the manager allowed a child to have a friend sleep over in the home without first consulting placing social workers. Furthermore, she did not complete thorough risk assessments prior to this taking place. Despite the manager’s best intentions, this had the potential to compromise children’s safety. She has since reflected on this incident and lessons have been learnt. Assurance visit report: SC061837 3 Although managers have strengthened procedures to prevent this happening again, the responsible individual’s investigation into this incident was not thorough. He did not gain a full picture of the incident to sufficiently consider children’s safety.

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The safety of children

There have been significant improvements made to the home environment. However, the heating storage tank at the back of the home is not adequately fenced off. This has potential to cause harm to children.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager is new to the home. External professionals and staff speak positively about her and the level of support she has given to the children and the staff team.

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Leaders and managers

Staff feel well supported to care for children in their care. Staff have completed online and, more recently, face-to-face training. This has ensured that staff have continued to be aware of the measures they need to take to care for children effectively. The manager has a good general level of oversight into the running of the home. She uses external and internal monitoring effectively to make significant improvements to the home. However, external monitoring is not thorough as the independent visitor did not regularly speak with placing social workers or children’s families as part of his monitoring visit. As a result, he is not able to get a full picture of children’s experiences and welfare.

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Leaders and managers

The requirements made at the last inspection have been met. One recommendation will be reissued. Although managers have developed a way for children to be able to view and add comments on their computerised records, this has yet to be put into action. Consequently, children are not having the opportunity to have their wishes and feelings recorded.

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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. 30/10/2020 Assurance visit report: SC061837 4 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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(d)) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires.

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Recommendations

 Children should be encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’, supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19) Assurance visit report: SC061837 5

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Aristidou

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Inspector

Sue Young, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC061837 6 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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