Children's home run by Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1273497 1

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Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is a short-break service for seven children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is appropriately qualified and experienced to manage this home. The home is one of four homes run by this local authority children’s trust.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place as the home has not been inspected since 12 November 2019. Ofsted had concerns about the extent to which the independent visitor’s reports reflected the care being provided to children.

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This monitoring visit

The visit concluded that the independent visitor’s monthly audits do not provide enough scrutiny. The independent visitor has not always consulted with children, parents and stakeholders. However, a new independent visitor has been recruited. This is a recent appointment and the impact of this change is not yet known.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager’s oversight is not always effective. As a result, the requirements raised at the last inspection have not been addressed. These include regulation 12 (the protection of children standard), regulation 32 (fitness of workers) and regulation 37 (other records). This does not demonstrate that the registered manager uses monitoring and review systems to make and sustain improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The six-monthly quality-of-care review completed by the registered manager does not consider the views of children, parents and stakeholders. This diminishes the usefulness of this review.

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This monitoring visit

When children go missing from the home, the registered manager does not consistently record her review of these incidents. This is a missed opportunity to Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1273497 2 identify learning and reduce the risk of further incidents of children going missing. However, no children have gone missing from the home since July 2020.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has not identified that risk assessments and behaviour management plans for one child do not consider the child’s visual impairment, behavioural or physical needs. This means that staff are not always given clear guidance on how best to support children and keep them safe.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has not ensured that staff have been safely recruited. For example, gaps in employment history have not been considered and references have not been scrutinised or verified. The registered manager has not always fully considered and explored the new employees’ reason for leaving their previous post, their suitability to work with vulnerable children or any previous disciplinary action.

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This monitoring visit

Some staff lack knowledge about key safeguarding policies and procedures. For example, one member of staff was unable to demonstrate an understanding of the safeguarding procedures for vulnerable children with learning and physical disabilities. In addition, they did not know what the role of the designated officer was.

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This monitoring visit

On one occasion, staff did not adhere to the home’s whistle-blowing procedure when there was a delay in staff responding to a safeguarding incident. The steps taken by the registered manager to address this matter have not been recorded. This does not demonstrate effective leadership.

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This monitoring visit

Although shortfalls have been identified as part of this visit, the inspector did receive positive feedback from some parents and social workers about the care provided to children.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 12/11/2019 Full Good 19/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/08/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1273497 3

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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 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

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 11 April 2021

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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

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 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. 11 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1273497 4 (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(e)(f))

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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; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the 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;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 11 April 2021

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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

This specifically relates to ensuring that the home rota includes the full name of permanent and agency staff. 11 April 2021

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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. 11 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1273497 5 When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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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 quality of care provided for children;

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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. 11 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1273497 6 After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Third Floor Zone 16, 1 Lancaster Circus, Birmingham B4 7DJ

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Inspector

Sam Dulay-Kainth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1273497 7 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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