Children's home run by City of Wolverhampton Council

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC378153 1 SC378153

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Wolverhampton City Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This short-break service provides care and accommodation for up to six children aged between nine and 17 who have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours. This home is owned by a local authority.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably qualified and was registered by Ofsted in April 2013.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out after information was received by Ofsted which raised concerns regarding safeguarding practice in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted completed a risk assessment and decided to visit the home in order to carry out the inspection.

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This monitoring visit

There is a consistent staff team in the home and a recruitment process is in place to cover vacancies. Staff work hard to develop and maintain supportive relationships with children. Staff were observed engaging in activities with one child during the visit. The child informed the inspector that the best thing about the home was the staff and the support he receives. This support enables children to develop strong and trusting relationships with staff.

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This monitoring visit

While some parts of the home are homely and personalised, this is not consistently the case. Some areas of the home were damaged and had not been repaired effectively. However, the management team is taking action to address this and there is a plan in place to ensure the work is completed.

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This monitoring visit

Staff carry out training which is specific to the needs of children. For example, the staff team has recently completed self-harm and ligature training in order to develop Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC378153 2 their understanding of safeguarding children. Furthermore, they have completed child exploitation training. Staff described how they were able to use their knowledge from this course in undertaking direct work with children. This means that children are cared for by staff who understand their needs and have the skills to support them.

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This monitoring visit

Children are encouraged to develop their own safety plans. One child has drawn up a safety plan which provides guidance to staff on how to manage her behaviour safely. This allows the child to feel secure and her relationships with staff are positive. In contrast, children’s risk assessments do not have clear strategies and actions in place for staff to follow. While staff have been able to describe the strategies in place to safeguard children, risk assessments are not comprehensive and do not always provide clear and specific guidance for staff to follow. Furthermore, staff assessment of risk is inconsistent. For example, internet safety is deemed high risk for one child but there is no evidence to support this assessment. However, where risks around ligature use have been identified by staff as a more immediate concern, the assessment deems this to be low risk. This means that key safeguarding information has the potential to be missed and compromises the safety

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This monitoring visit

The management of significant incidents is mixed. Some recent records demonstrate that the systems now in place to respond to an incident with a child are more detailed. They are evaluated by leaders, who ensure that staff and children are spoken to. This allows reflection and learning to take place. However, the home has not managed incidents effectively where children have gone missing from the home. The records are inadequate and do not provide clarity on what staff have done to return children to the home. During one incident, when two children were missing in the night, staff failed to respond appropriately and there were delays in the time it took to report the incident to the police. These shortfalls had an impact on the safety of both children.

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This monitoring visit

The management team is helpful and supportive towards staff. Staff reported that managers are available when they need advice and guidance. This approach is underpinned by regular supervision sessions. However, supervision records do not demonstrate that children’s plans are discussed with staff and they are not reflective. Furthermore, children’s safety plans are not discussed in staff team meetings. Consequently, leaders cannot be assured that staff understand their roles and responsibilities when safeguarding children.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has not submitted an up-to-date version of the home’s statement of purpose to Ofsted. This prevents the regulator from having oversight of the home.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of this inspection, four requirements have been raised. Two of the recommendations raised at the last monitoring visit were not reviewed at this visit. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC378153 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 15/01/2020 Full Good 19/12/2018 Full Good 14/03/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC378153 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

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

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to areas of the home which were damaged and in need of redecoration. 27 April 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; 27 April 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC378153 5 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff understanding and implementation of each individual child’s risk assessment, and their role in keeping children safe, particularly with regards to children going missing from the home.

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the manager’s oversight and monitoring of children’s risk assessments and staff supervision records. 27 April 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the fact that an up-to-date copy of the home’s statement of purpose has not been submitted to Ofsted. 27 April 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC378153 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in regulation 45 at least once every six months. The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. Reviews should be underpinned by the quality standards as described in regulations 5 to 14. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64 paragraph 15.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to respond to the health needs of children, and administer basic first aid and minor illness treatment. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12)

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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: Wolverhampton City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, St Peters Square, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV1 1SH

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Inspector

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC378153 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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