Children's Home run by Progress Children’s Services Ltd in Sandwell

Assurance visit report: SC437486 1 SC437486

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private company. It provides medium- to long-term care for up to three children who have disabilities and/or moderate to severe learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 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. 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: SC437486 2

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The care of children

There are three children living at this home. One child has recently moved in. The manager ensured that the child’s transition was planned carefully. This has supported the child to settle in and quickly develop positive relationships with the other children.

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The care of children

The children are making good progress with their education. One child, who previously had limited attendance, is now attending education full time. Another child said how much she enjoys attending her specialist school. The staff work closely with teachers to identify when the children need help. This support gives the children a good routine, builds their knowledge and extends their peer groups.

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The care of children

During the first lockdown period, the staff adapted the children’s routines to follow a school-like structure at home. Activities included yoga and spa days as well as more academic lessons like mathematics and English. This meant that the children were busy and happy.

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The care of children

The staff ensure that the children’s health needs are met. They spend time with the children to help them understand the COVID-19 pandemic. The staff developed the children’s physical well-being through regular walks and increasing personal hygiene activities, such as washing hands and showering. These self-care skills have helped the children to keep themselves safe.

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The care of children

The staff understand the children’s individual needs and provide high-quality personal care. The manager has identified that one child requires further mental health assessments. The manager has been proactive in escalating this need to the placing authority and securing this service. This has enabled the child to receive the specialist assessments that she needs.

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The care of children

The children stay in touch with their families and people who are important to them. The staff support the children to use technology to maintain their relationships and stay connected. The staff encourage some of the children to express themselves well.

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The care of children

The children share their views and preferences about their care through young people’s meetings and key-work sessions. However, for one child with complex needs, the staff have not yet developed a set of communication tools. Therefore, this child does not have the opportunity to fully express his wishes and feelings.

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The safety of children

Risk assessments are clear and inform the staff of the actions to take to mitigate risks. Some of the children’s support plans guide the staff in meeting the children’s individual needs well. However, the behavioural support plans fail to include all relevant information. For one child, some information is held in a learning log. This increases the likelihood that staff could miss important information on how best to manage his behaviours. Assurance visit report: SC437486 3 Some of the staff have not undertaken specialist training to understand the children’s individual needs. These staff, therefore, may not fully understand the children’s behaviours and how to manage them effectively.

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The safety of children

The staff share information and communicate well. This helps them to provide consistent care and clear boundaries for the children. They do this by managing negative behaviours fairly. The staff use consequences that are meaningful to the children. Children undertake reflective key-work sessions to encourage positive choices. This helps the children to understand the consequences of negative behaviours and their impact on others.

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The safety of children

The manager has strong managerial oversight of incidents at the home. The manager is thorough in her review to ensure that the children and the staff have timely debriefs. This enables the children and the staff to learn from incidents and consider if they could have been managed differently.

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Leaders and managers

The manager has worked hard to meet all the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection. The results have been improvements in all areas of practice.

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Leaders and managers

Staff receive regular supervision. The staff value this and feel supported. This feeling of support creates a positive team atmosphere that encourages the staff to enjoy working at the home and remain committed to the children.

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Leaders and managers

The manager works closely with social workers, parents and the school staff. The children have benefited from the manager’s strong partnership approach. The manager regularly seeks feedback from parents and professionals. She ensures that regular updates are provided to them. This promotes more effective and inclusive care planning for the children.

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Leaders and managers

The manager responds to complaints well. She has good systems to investigate and provide formal responses promptly. She has critically reflected on the complaints received and used the outcomes to inform practice changes. For example, following a complaint about meal choices at the home, the manager shared meal planners with the social workers in advance of implementing them.

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Leaders and managers

The manager regularly provides internal monitoring reports to Ofsted in line with regulation. She uses these reports to consider what actions to prioritise to continue improving the children’s experiences at the home.

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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 Assurance visit report: SC437486 4 ‘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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(iii)) 29/12/2020

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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 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)) 29/12/2020

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) In particular, ensure that all information in relation to risk assessment and management is recorded in the children’s risk assessment and behavioural management plans. Assurance visit report: SC437486 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Progress Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Progress Childrens Services Ltd, Progress House, 127 Millfields Road, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire WV4 6JG

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Inspector

Leemya McKeown, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC437486 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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