Children's Home run by Care Perspectives Ltd in Walsall

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1263977 1

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Care Perspectives Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides specialist care for up to eight children who have mental health and/or emotional and social difficulties. The home was registered in December 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is experienced in residential care and qualified to level 5 in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 3 February 2021 and 11 February 2021

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place on 3 February 2021, due to concerns following a review of notifications sent to Ofsted by the provider. Further information of a safeguarding nature was received after this visit. The relevance of the information received led inspectors to visit the home again on 11 February 2021. The inspections included visiting the home to speak to children and staff and to look around the environment. In addition, inspectors undertook some remote activity, such as reviewing documents and speaking with professionals.

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This monitoring visit

The home achieved a good judgement at the last full inspection on 10 September 2019 and sustained effectiveness at the interim inspection on 11 March 2020. The registered manager has responded to the previous requirements and recommendations. Some improvements have been made to the home’s environment and there is better guidance for staff contained in children’s risk assessments.

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This monitoring visit

During the inspection, a safeguarding investigation commenced following allegations from a child about staff and about medication management. This resulted in a child moving out of the home and several staff being suspended without prejudice. The investigation has not been concluded. As such, details will not be documented in this report. Ofsted awaits an update on the outcome of the investigation. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1263977 2 Since the last inspection, the same children remain living in the home. One child has moved in and out within this time. At the time of the inspection, one child moved out. The home has enough staff to care for the five children living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager and clinical team have a good understanding of the children’s complex needs, which means that they can guide staff practice effectively. Children engage in at least twice-weekly direct work with the trained therapists. The direct work is individualised to each child’s needs. Topics covered include managing self-harm, emotional health and using calming strategies instead of medication to manage anxiety. This is helping most children to understand and manage their emotions and behaviours. However, staff do not consistently document when a child refuses to engage in direct work. Consequently, records are not always up to date.

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This monitoring visit

Most children make good progress from their starting points. Children are helped by staff to regulate their emotions. As a result, there is a reduction in incidents for some children and one child is preparing to move to semi-independent living.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have access to a range of different training courses, including mental health training, managing self-harm and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder training. This helps staff to develop the skills and knowledge they need to care for children.

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This monitoring visit

Staff help children to manage their mental health needs and keep children safe. The staff work in partnership with other agencies, such as children’s mental health services, general practitioners and hospitals. This approach is effective in ensuring that children get the services and support they need.

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This monitoring visit

Generally, social workers and parents spoke positively about the registered manager, the clinical team and staff. They recognised the progress their children make. Overall, communication is positive between professionals and staff. However, one social worker shared with inspectors that communication could be improved. This social worker is not consistently receiving weekly reports about the child as agreed. A lack of communication can lead to partner agencies and parents not feeling involved in their child’s life and not fully understanding their child’s day-to-day experiences. This was not a widespread issue and something that the registered manager was aware of.

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This monitoring visit

One social worker shared concern with the inspector that staff let her into the home without checking her identification and allowed her to spend time with a child. The registered manager has been made aware of this and will be addressing this poor practice with staff.

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This monitoring visit

One inspector spoke to some of the children living in the home. They told the inspector that they felt safe and had everything they needed to meet their basic needs.

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This monitoring visit

Staff manage incidents well and respond quickly to keep children safe and support them with their emotional well-being. Medical assistance is sought when necessary, Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1263977 3 and strategies are implemented to reduce further risks, such as increasing staff to child ratios. This is reviewed regularly, and risk strategies are reduced when appropriate and safe to do so. Children and young people also contribute to their safety plans.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s risk assessments and behaviour management plans are comprehensive and identify children’s risks and behaviours. When new risks are identified, these documents are regularly reviewed and updated by staff and managers. This provides staff with clear strategies to manage children’s needs. However, when no new risks are identified, it is not always clear if staff review information about known risks to ensure that the guidance remains current.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has a good oversight of the day-to-day running of the home. She responds immediately to concerns raised. She reflects on incidents that happen and reviews lessons learned to identify if anything could have been done differently. Feedback is regularly gathered from children and professionals. However, this feedback is not included in the six-monthly quality of care review. This is a missed opportunity to show how managers take account of children’s views when developing the service. In addition, the review does not set out what actions are in place to improve the quality of care for the following six months.

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This monitoring visit

The home’s environment is well maintained overall. Repairs that were identified at the last inspection have been completed. In some areas, further decoration within the home is needed, including the children’s chill-out room.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/09/2019 Full Good 12/03/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 25/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1263977 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

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (2)(b)(c)) 26 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to documenting when children refuse to engage in direct work. 26 March 2021

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to checking the identity of any visitors who visit the home and making sure that risk assessments are reviewed consistently. 26 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1263977 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the house is homely and that redecoration work is completed as soon as reasonably possible. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 5.14)  The registered person should ensure that they seek to involve the placing authority that places a looked-after child in the home. This includes keeping social workers up to date with relevant information. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.5)

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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 and consider information received by Ofsted in relation to recent notifications of serious incidents at the home.

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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: Care Perspectives Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 36 Frederick Street, Loughborough LE11 3BJ

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Inspectors

Lisa O’Donovan, Social Care Inspector Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Shazana Jamal, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1263977 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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