Children's home run by Silverlining Childcare Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254780 1

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Silverlining Childcare Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care and accommodation for up to four children who may have faced adverse childhood experiences, resulting in trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

On 13 and 14 October 2020, an assurance visit was conducted. The visit identified serious and widespread concerns. Ofsted issued a notice of restriction of accommodation. In addition, two compliance notices were raised under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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Information about this children’s home

On 5 November 2020, a monitoring visit was conducted. The purpose of this visit was to review the provider’s progress in completing the action set out in the compliance notices. Inspectors found the the compliance notices were not met. Two compliance notices were reissued under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). In addition, a compliance notice was issued under regulation 7 (the children’s views, wishes and feelings standard). The restriction of accommodation remains in place.

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This monitoring visit

At this visit, inspectors identified that insufficient action has been taken to meet the steps contained in the three compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

Furthermore, four out of the five requirements raised at the previous visit have not been met. Specifically: requirement 6 (the quality of care standard); requirement 8 (the education standard); requirement 11 (the positive relationship standard); and requirement 14 (the care planning standard).

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This monitoring visit

The notice of restriction of accommodation has been adhered to. At the time of the visit, two children were living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254780 2 Children do not feel cared for. One child’s persistent request to move to a bigger bedroom has not been met. Inspectors found the child’s bedroom to be in a poor state with insufficient storage space and a heavily stained carpet. This has left the child feeling neglected and uncared for.

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This monitoring visit

During the inspection, a child disclosed to inspectors that a member of staff had called her a derogatory name. The child reported this to the managers. However, managers failed to act to record this as a complaint and investigate the concerns. This has left the child feeling upset and uncertain about whether her concerns are taken seriously.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not provide opportunities for children to go through their care plans. One child told the inspector that he does not know what a care plan is, and that staff have never explained or gone through this with him. This is a missed opportunity to allow the child to contribute to the planning on how best to meet his needs.

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This monitoring visit

Children have opportunities to express their views and wishes in weekly meetings. However, there are delays in children’s requests being responded to or acted on. As a result, some children no longer take part in the meetings because they do not feel listened to.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last monitoring visit on 5 November, the manager has improved the attic space. It now has some resources for children to use, including books, games and comfortable beanbag seating. However, children still do not have access to a working computer to use for educational purposes. This lack of resources hinders children’s access to improve their learning experiences.

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This monitoring visit

During the visit, the responsible individual and manager decorated the lounge as a belated birthday for a child. The child’s birthday was in October 2020 and she had complained at the visits on 13 October 2020 and 5 November 2020 that staff had not celebrated her birthday. This typifies the poor care that children receive.

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This monitoring visit

A child told the inspectors that he felt in a low mood and that he had chosen not to take his prescribed medication. Staff had not reviewed the risk that this posed to the child.

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This monitoring visit

The arrangements for medication are not safe. Prescribed medication is recorded on non-prescribed medication record sheets and the manager confirmed that nobody audits medication. This lack of oversight of staff’s practice in managing medication is not safe.

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This monitoring visit

Following recent complaints from the neighbours about children’s behaviours in the garden, an agreement was made with the neighbour and the police that children will be supervised when they are in the garden. However, staff have not supervised Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254780 3 children in the garden. This has resulted in further complaints from the neighbours about children’s behaviours.

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This monitoring visit

Despite a review of the risk assessments by the manager, they do not reflect children’s current vulnerabilities. Furthermore, the manager has not ensured that staff have read and understood them. This does not demonstrate effective safeguarding practices.

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This monitoring visit

During the visit, the manager and responsible individual acknowledged that they were not providing good care. The responsible individual told the inspectors that she feels unable to give the home the attention it needs. This does not provide Ofsted with any assurance that the leadership of the home has the capacity to make the required improvements.

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This monitoring visit

The manager told the inspectors that he has not received an induction or probation review since he commenced his role in September 2020. This lack of support has contributed to the poor quality of care provided to children.

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This monitoring visit

Not all staff have received face-to-face safeguarding training. As a result, staff do not demonstrate a good enough understanding of what action to take if a child is at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

The deputy manager provides supervision to staff. The supervision records are of poor quality because they have very little content and there is no focus on caring for children. This demonstrates that staff do not get the support and guidance they need through supervision to meet the needs of children.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has not ensured that a new staff member is safe to work with children. Despite this, the member of staff has been allowed to work with children on his own out in the community. This lack of vetting of staff potentially places children at risk of harm.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 12/06/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/02/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254780 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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(c)(i)) 30 November 2020

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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

develop positive relationships with them;

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care; 30 November 2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254780 5 make each child aware of and, if necessary, remind them of each of the matters in sub-paragraph (d)(i) to (iii);

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child’s arrival about—

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Requirement Due date

what advocacy support or services are available to the child, how the child may access that support or those services and any entitlement the child may have to independent advocacy provision. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vii)(b)(i)(iii)(d)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; 30 November 2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254780 6 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

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(ix)(xi))

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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

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

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

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)) 30 November 2020

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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— 30 November 2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254780 7 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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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; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 30 November 2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254780 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 30 November 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

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)(d)) 4 January 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the ethos of the home supports each child to learn and emphasises the value of independent study and reading for enjoyment. The home must make available suitable facilities, equipment and resources for learning and ensure that routines do not form barriers to children wishing to use the home’s resources to study. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.18)  The registered person should ensure that children have access to a computer and the internet to support their education and learning. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.19) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254780 9

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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: Silverlining Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Flaxhall Street, Walsall, West Midlands WS2 9TW

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Inspectors

Michelle Spruce, Social Care Inspector Sarah Berry, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254780 10 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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