Children's home run by YCPG Services Ltd in Walsall

Inspection report children's home: SC063813 1 SC063813 Registered provider: DMR Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It provides accommodation for up to six children who have experienced childhood instability leading to trauma and associated risks.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager holds a level 5 qualification and registered with Ofsted in November 2010.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 19 October 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. This report is published on our website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC063813 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/08/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/03/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 26/06/2018 Full Good 01/11/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Four children are currently living at the home. Since the last inspection, one child has left the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build trusting relationships with staff. Staff know children well and understand their individual needs. Children are confident to tell staff how they are feeling. One child told inspectors that he could talk to staff about anything. This means that children feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to achieve academically, with a strong focus on their individual strengths and interests. One child, who previously had sporadic school attendance, is now attending full time. For another child, the focus is very much on developing his vocational skills. Staff have supported him by providing work experience with the organisation’s maintenance workers. This means that children are investing in their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with children to address issues such as substance misuse and sexual health. This work is of a good quality and captures the child’s voice. A child who was previously reluctant to engage with external services has now done so with the support of staff. This means that children are making progress in learning how to keep themselves safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain positive relationships with those people who are important to them. This helps children to maintain and develop their family relationships. The plan for one child is for them to return to their parent’s care. Staff are successfully supporting this plan by encouraging contact.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is benefiting from having access to a self-contained flat within the home. This is preparing him for when he leaves the home. Staff are supporting him with his independence skills and have worked directly with him to develop his skills in cooking, Inspection report children's home: SC063813 3 budgeting and shopping. This ensures that children are well prepared for leaving the home and are more able to live independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The national lockdown has resulted in children having restrictions imposed on their everyday lives. To counter this, staff have been creative and introduced activities to engage children, such as cooking and baking competitions and games nights. As the restrictions have lifted, children have participated in activities outside of the home. For example, they have played football and minigolf. Children’s active lives help them to extend their social skills and gain greater confidence.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children told inspectors that they are happy living in the home. One child said he would give the home a nine and a half out of 10. During the inspection, inspectors observed positive relationships between the children and staff. For example, one child told inspectors that the staff were great. As a result, children feel supported and valued in the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children’s risk assessments are individualised and specific to their needs. They are regularly reviewed and updated. They provide staff with clear guidance on how to keep children safe. Staff know the children well and are fully aware of their key risks. As a result of this, the number of incidents in the home have reduced.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children rarely go missing from the home. When they do, the registered manager and staff respond promptly. Staff follow the missing-from-care protocols and keep detailed records. When children return, they are offered the opportunity to talk to someone independent. Staff work closely with partnership agencies to understand why children go missing from home and put in place additional measures.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Since the last inspection, there have been some bullying incidents between the children. Staff have carried out direct and mediation sessions with the children to address these behaviours. These have helped children to understand the impact of their behaviours and learn from the incidents. The inspectors found that these strategies were also recorded in children’s risk assessments. This approach has ensured that incidents between children have reduced.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Physical restraint is rarely used and is only used as a last resort. When restraint is necessary, the registered manager ensures that she holds debrief sessions with children and staff. This means that children have the opportunity to express their views about what has happened and reflect on their behaviours.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff support children to manage their feelings. They respond to children with reassurance, and work closely with children to help them understand the triggers to their feelings. This has enabled children to manage effectively their feelings in a safe way.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The registered manager and staff have good working relationships with professionals and work collaboratively to meet children’s needs. For example, staff work closely with Inspection report children's home: SC063813 4 the local police community support officer and have put in place agreed strategies to support children to manage risky behaviours. As a result, this helps children to manage their behaviours over time.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Safer recruitment practice ensures that staff working in the home are safe to work with children. The home has a stable and consistent staff team. This ensures that children are not exposed to risky adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and has significant experience and skills. She is supported by an experienced and skilled deputy manager. Staff feel supported by the management team and speak highly of them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervisions. These are beneficial and productive and support staff in developing their skills further. The registered manager is also well supported by senior managers and receives regular supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good oversight of the home and has effective monitoring systems in place. She regularly addresses any actions raised during independent reviews. Her own monitoring systems are robust. These help her to ensure that the home continues to develop and that the children receive a high level of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that staff have the training needed to meet the needs of the children living in the home. When children have displayed new behaviours, the registered manager has ensured that staff have completed the relevant training to equip them with the necessary skills to support children. This helps staff to promote children’s welfare and support their progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals are positive about the home and the support provided to children. A social worker told inspectors that, ‘staff understand the children and are able to respond to their behaviours.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Generally, when matching new children to the home, risks are carefully considered, and pre-admission discussions take place that involve the manager and other professionals within the organisation. However, on one occasion, the process was not followed, and a child was placed at the home without all risks being considered. As a result, the placement ended abruptly. The management team has reflected on this incident and the next child has been suitably matched and has settled into the home. Inspection report children's home: SC063813 5

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: DMR Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: D M R Services, 102 Queslett Road, Streetley, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham B74 2EZ

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Inspectors

Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Shazana Jamal, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC063813 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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