Children's Home run by Resicare Alliance Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 1 SC463639 Registered provider: Aston Children’s Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children with learning and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of the home is new and has not yet registered with Ofsted.

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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 the setting on 15 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted 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 requires improvement to be 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: SC463639 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/01/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/02/2019 Full Good 10/10/2017 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, four children were living in the home. All the children have lived at the home for over a year.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proud of children’s achievements. There are photographs of the children and staff enjoying activities together proudly displayed around the home. This helps children to feel a sense of belonging and of being valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and children use good manners and positive language when talking with each other. This helps instil a sense of self-worth for children and positive role modelling. Staff reciprocate hugs from children. This open and appropriate affection supports children’s emotional well-being. Children and staff laugh together. The children affectionately call one member of staff ‘nanny-grandma’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite all the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, children have continued to make good educational progress. When it has been safe, staff have supported children to attend their education settings. As a result, all children have excellent school attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to stay in touch with their family. During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have supported children to see their families by using video calling and driving in the car to see their families to enable parents to say ‘hello’ through the window. More recently, children have returned to seeing their families face to face.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have started enjoying activities again since the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have been lifted. Activities include horse therapy, a bowling night with friends and trips to the park. During the national lockdowns, staff have been creative in ensuring that families continued to share special moments with their children, such as a virtual easter egg hunt and sending photos of activities to parents. This has resulted in children and families continuing to be involved in each other’s lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite the positive relationship staff have with children, staff have thrown some children’s memorabilia away without consulting the children to secure their views. As a result, children no longer have some of their birthday cards, which form part of their life story.

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

Staff understand the individual needs of children and how to meet them. Consequently, staff are able to de-escalate potentially difficult situations, before children become overwhelmed. This proactive action helps support children to Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 4 regulate their emotions. However, on the rare occasion when a physical restraint is necessary, managerial oversight has been poor. For example, staff have not been provided with debriefs after a physical restraint. This creates a missed opportunity to reflect on and to improve staff practice.

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

Staff use praise and reward charts and send children individual letters to reinforce positive behaviours. Staff will occasionally use natural consequences when children have the ability to understand this action.

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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, staff follow the correct procedures and ensure that the police, social workers and parents are promptly informed. Staff are aware of how children’s disabilities increase their vulnerabilities.

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

All children have been offered an advocate. Three children have an independent advocate who can share their wishes and feelings on their behalf if required.

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

Children feel able to share their concerns and raise complaints with staff. Managers take allegations and complaints seriously. The designated officer, social worker and any other relevant professional are informed. Staff keep children informed of the outcome. This is shared in a child-friendly way at a level pitched to their individual understanding.

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

Staff have not ensured that children are safe from avoidable hazards, such as garden equipment that is in an easily accessible shed. This has the potential to cause harm to children and staff if used improperly.

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good

There has been a significant failing in management oversight over recent months. This has led to shortfalls in the monitoring and review of children’s care. The newly appointed manager is now beginning to bring in greater consistency. She knows the children and staff well. She has years of experience working for the organisation in various roles. This supports her knowledge and understanding of what is required to make the necessary improvements. The manager recognises the shortfalls and is passionate about improving the service.

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good

Staff understand what to do when an allegation is reported. However, the policy is not clear. Consequently, this has the potential for less-experienced staff to report allegations incorrectly.

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good

Staff have a reasonable understanding of children’s preferred methods of communicating. This helps to ensure that children are able to play a key role in making decisions. However, some members of staff are still waiting to receive essential training in helping them to develop their communication skills. This creates a delay in having a skilled workforce that reflects the needs of children in their care. Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 5 Social workers have shared concerns that they have received inconsistent communication about children’s care. This has resulted in social workers experiencing unnecessary delays in being updated on children’s care.

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good

Although staff know the children well, including their hobbies and interests, they have not yet implemented planned activities for children. Consequently, staff do not always know what activities are planned for children.

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good

A requirement raised at the last inspection for managers to submit a quality of care review report to the regulator has remained unmet. This is a failure to meet a regulatory requirement.

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good

Staff have still not received regular supervision or annual appraisals. This leaves staff without the opportunities to reflect on practice and to review their performance.

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good

The new manager has had a positive impact, despite her short time in post. Staff feel supported and listened to. Staff reported that the manager is hands on and approachable and has a caring nature. She has empowered them in their roles, and staff morale has improved since her appointment. A social worker reported that communication has improved and the new manager is ‘measured and calm’ in her approach. Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 6

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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

Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that placing authorities are updated about children regularly and there are no delays in communication. 31 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard

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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

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7 (1)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to retaining children’s personal items such as birthday cards. 31 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 31 August 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 7 that staff help each child to—

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Requirement Due date

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to making sure that staff plan activities for children.

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the garden equipment being locked away securely and the staff office windows having safety restrictors applied. 31 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to staff receiving training in the use of Makaton and Picture exchange communication system. 30 June 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 8 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))

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Requirement Due date

This specially relates to staff having supervision and appraisals according to the company policy. 31 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

describe how and to whom staff are to report, without delay, any concern about abuse or neglect of a child (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the policy clearly detailing the correct order of matters about which the designated officer must be informed. 31 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the management oversight of physical restraint. 31 August 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 9 The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relations to recording children’s previous address and the address they have moved on to. 31 August 2021

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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. (Regulation 45 (1)) 31 August 2021

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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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aston Children’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 181 Penn Road, Wolverhampton WV3 0EQ

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Inspector

Jodie Lewis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC463639 11 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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