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

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to three children who may have experienced trauma. Such trauma may mean that children experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since July 2019. One manager was appointed and left before he was registered with Ofsted. A new manager has been in post since February 2020 and has applied to Ofsted to register.

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This monitoring visit

On 8 and 9 September 2020, Ofsted undertook an assurance visit and found widespread and serious concerns. A compliance notice under regulation 12 was raised due to safeguarding shortfalls. In addition, a notice restricting accommodation was issued.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to monitor the provider’s progress in relation to improving safeguarding practice and adherence to the restriction of accommodation notice.

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This monitoring visit

No new children have come to live at the home since the assurance visit and so the provider is adhering to the restriction notice.

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This monitoring visit

The manager, staff and relevant partner agencies have reviewed the missing-from- care plan for the young person living at the home. Ofsted is reassured that the plan has been collectively agreed and is more robust. This means that when the young person’s whereabouts are unknown, staff will report him missing or absent from care. The manager and staff are also applying professional curiosity when they Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC368032 2 speak to the young person and his family, to ascertain where he is and who he is with. As a result, they are taking more steps to safeguard the young person.

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This monitoring visit

Progress has been made with staff undertaking direct work with the young person about the dangers of knife crime, causing criminal damage and going missing from the home. This means that they are beginning to engage the young person in conversations to help him learn about how his behaviour may affect him and other people.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are using small windows of opportunity to try and engage the young person in constructive activities. The young person has watched a couple of movies with staff, has done some baking and on occasions cooks with staff. This is helping the young person to develop some positive relationships with staff.

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This monitoring visit

Staff and the manager review and update the young people’s risk assessment and behaviour management plan. Some significant incidents are reviewed by the manager and some relevant information is shared with other agencies to ensure a swift response.

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This monitoring visit

Despite these improvements, shortfalls remain in safeguarding practice. For example, the young person was given a mobile phone by another young person visiting the home one evening. It is not clear whether staff caring for the young person at the time considered the potential implications of this, given the risks and vulnerabilities the young person faces. This incident has not been reviewed by the manager. In addition, the young person continues to have unknown people arrive at the home, sometimes in a car and often at night. The manager was not aware that staff had a description of a car that had parked outside the home and this information was not shared with the police. Not acting promptly to address issues of concern and a lack of consistently effective management oversight does not fully protect the young person from the risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Following the monitoring inspection, no new requirements have been raised. The requirements raised at the assurance visit, the compliance notice under regulation 12 and restriction of accommodation notice, will remain in place and will continue to be monitored by Ofsted. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC368032 3

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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

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs. (Regulation 5(b)) 25/10/2020

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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 meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)) 25/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills. 25/10/2020 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC368032 4 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1)(2)(a)(i)(b)) The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(v)(vi)(viii)) 25/10/2020

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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 27/10/2020 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC368032 5 necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(vi))* 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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and 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

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)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 25/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14(1)(a)) 25/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (Regulation 32 (1)) 25/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

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— 25/10/2020 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC368032 6 the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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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. (Regulation 32(2)(a)(b)(3)(b)(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)) The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1)(2)) 25/10/2020

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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. 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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Inspectors

Shazana Jamal, Social Care Inspector Jackie Line, Regulatory Inspector Manager 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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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: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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