Children's Home run by Osei Minkah Care Ltd in Wolverhampton

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1277449 1

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Osei Minkah Care Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This provider is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five young people with learning and/or mental disorders. The home is dual registered with the Care Quality Commission.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has recently left and the provider is in the process of recruiting a new manager.

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Information about this children’s home

In response to the serious failings found in respect of safeguarding young people and the leadership and management of the home, the home’s registration was suspended on 25 September 2020.

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This monitoring visit

At an assurance visit on 23 and 24 September 2020, serious and widespread concerns were identified in relation to the care and protection of children. As a result of this inspection, and in response to the serious failings found in respect of safeguarding children and the leadership and management of the home, the home’s registration was suspended on 25 September 2020. Eight requirements were raised, five of which were the subject of compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this inspection is to check that managers have complied with the suspension notice and to evaluate the provider’s progress in meeting the five compliance notices and three requirements in line with their set completion dates.

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This monitoring visit

This inspection found that the provider has complied with the suspension notice. No children live at the home. However, managers have not prioritised making necessary improvements. Consequently, progress is slow and none of the compliance notices or requirements have been met. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1277449 2 Managers failed to demonstrate that there are systems in place to ensure that action is taken when a safeguarding concern arises in respect of a child. Inspectors found that managers had still not reported a serious concern from the previous inspection, when a young person had alleged that he had been hurt by staff. Continued failure by managers to ensure that systems are in place to safeguard young people and that safeguarding concerns are acted upon without delay raises concerns about the ability of managers to safeguard young people.

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This monitoring visit

Despite a requirement having been raised at the last inspection, managers have failed to inform Ofsted as the regulator of a serious incident resulting in one young person needing to attend hospital having suffered a physical assault by his peer and significant damage being caused to the home. Continued failure by managers to report significant incidents to Ofsted seriously compromises the external oversight of the safety and welfare of young people. No progress has been made in ensuring that records of physical intervention meet regulatory requirements. Inspectors found that there was no detailed record of an incident when staff had needed to hold a young person following the last inspection. Failures in management oversight of behaviour management records mean that it continues to be unclear whether restraint practice is proportionate and safe. Since the last inspection, managers have been able to provide evidence that an

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This monitoring visit

independent visit to the home took place in June 2020. However, shortfalls remain, with no independent visit to the home taking place in October 2020. Managers were unable to immediately confirm the reason for this. Poor management oversight of independent visits means that an opportunity has been lost to use external oversight to support improvement. Managers have failed to make required improvements to the system for managing children’s medication. The process of administering and recording of medicines for young people in the home remains unsafe. Managers have failed to finish work that has been started to improve their processes to assess the suitability of children to live with each other. Since the last inspection, managers have acted to ensure that staff have received training in child criminal exploitation and sexually harmful behaviour. Training focused on working with young people with a learning disability is scheduled.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have arranged with the training provider for staff to complete evaluations of their learning following training. However, managers have not yet assured themselves that staff have understood the training that has been completed and are ready to implement their learning from it. Poor progress in meeting the compliance notices and requirements does not demonstrate that managers have developed and implemented effective monitoring systems to identify and respond to shortfalls in the quality of care provided. This Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1277449 3 raises serious concerns about the abilities of managers to identify, respond to and make improvements that ensure good-quality, safe care for young people. Some action has been taken to improve the physical environment of the home. For example, a new fireplace has been fitted in the dining room, a ground floor bedroom has been painted and the door frame has been repaired. A first floor window has

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This monitoring visit

been replaced. However, improvements are slow and have not gone far enough. For example, flooring in the en suite to one young person’s bedroom is not secure and repairs are needed to the ceiling and to the shower cubicle in another en suite. Slabs are loose to an external step into the dining room. A covering concealing a hole in the chimney breast of a young person’s bedroom is loose. Managers told inspectors that they have organised for these repairs to be completed. However, managers were unable to demonstrate timescales for completion. Other maintenance, for instance a fault to the fire panel and carpet being fitted to a downstairs bedroom, is scheduled. A manager told inspectors that the home was not physically ready for young people to move in. Managers were able to show that the electronic recording system has the capability for internal planning to take account of young people’s statutory plans and that it

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This monitoring visit

has a function to prompt regular reviews of young people’s internal plans. Managers, including the responsible individual, were unable to demonstrate their learning about why these systems were not effective at the last inspection or that they had a plan to make sure that the systems are used effectively in future.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/12/2019 Full Inadequate 27/08/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1277449 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 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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii)) 13 December

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and 13 December Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1277449 5 are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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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

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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)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h)) 13 December

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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— 13 December Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1277449 6 a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Recommendations

 Where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. If no Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1277449 7 education place is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge them to meet the child’s needs under regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the

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Recommendations

home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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: Osei Minkah Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Trilogy Suite, 9 Church Street, Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire WV11 1SR

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Inspectors

Alison Cooper, social care inspector James Tallis, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1277449 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

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