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. The manager who had been in post since February 2020 has resigned. The provider is currently recruiting to fill the manager vacancy.

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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

On 7 October 2020, Ofsted undertook a monitoring visit to review the provider’s progress towards meeting the compliance and restriction notice. The monitoring visit found that the provider was making some progress with regards to coordinating a joint agency response to a young person when he was away from the home and his whereabouts was not known. However, at that time, there continued to be some concerns around safeguarding practice in relation to staff not applying enough professional curiosity when a young person was meeting with people that staff did not know. Relevant information about incidents that caused concern were not always known by the manager and were not always shared with the police and social worker.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to monitor the compliance notice issued under regulation 12, the restriction of accommodation notice and the requirements raised at the assurance visit. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 2 Inspectors found that managers and staff had taken sufficient action to address the steps outlined in the compliance notice.

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This monitoring visit

Some progress has been made with staff undertaking direct work with the young person. This has included working with the young person to help him understand concerns about associating with people that he does not know well, smoking cannabis, attending education and keeping medical appointments. Having such discussions with the young person can help him learn about his behaviour and lifestyle and can help him make more informed choices.

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This monitoring visit

When a young person is away from the home and his whereabouts is not known, staff have followed the new ‘absent without authorisation’ procedure, which has been collectively agreed by relevant professionals. This means that staff make more efforts to understand where he is when he is away from the home. For example, they liaise regularly with family members to ascertain the young person’s whereabouts. If they cannot be established, he is reported to the police as absent from the home without permission and his social worker is also informed.

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This monitoring visit

Despite the above, the young person continues to be away from the home every day and for long periods of the day. Over time, a community police officer has become concerned about the number of occasions the young person is reported as being absent from the home without permission and that there is no change to this pattern of behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

Staff complete a weekly planner with the young person, detailing structured activities outside of school hours. However, the young person does not engage in most of these activities. At times, staff use windows of opportunity to try and engage the young person in activities such as cooking and watching movies. This has helped the young person to develop some positive relationships with staff. However, staff have not reviewed the activity planner to try and understand what they can do differently to engage the young person in alternative activities that may interest him. This means that the young person is not well motivated to spend time with staff and build on these relationships. Instead, he will regularly spend long periods of time out of the home.

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This monitoring visit

Over the last month, the number of unknown visitors to the home to see the young person has decreased. However, on the occasions when unknown visitors have come to the home, staff still do not show enough professional curiosity about who these people are. There is very little detail in the home’s records about the visitors. It is not known whether these people are appropriate for the young person to be spending time with.

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This monitoring visit

Managers and staff have been anticipating difficulties when court-imposed restrictions on the young person’s liberties are lifted. Despite this, managers have contributed to a lack of effective care planning to prepare for this in an attempt to mitigate risk. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 3 Recruitment practice is not consistently good and a requirement raised at the assurance visit has not been met. Managers do not ensure that new staff provide a full employment history as part of their application and any inconsistencies in information the applicants provide are understood and resolved.

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This monitoring visit

Staff rosters do not provide a clear overview of which staff have worked at the home and when. A requirement is raised to address this shortfall.

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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 has adhered to the restriction notice. The restriction notice remains in place and Ofsted will continue to keep the need for this under review.

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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 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)(f)) 16 December 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)) 16 December 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.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character; 16 December 2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 5 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(3)(a)(d))

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Requirement Due date

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

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)) 16 December 2020

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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: 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 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 looked after children, 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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