Children's Home run by Progress Children’s Services Ltd in Coventry

Inspection report children's home: SC064117 1 SC064117 Registered provider: Progress Children’s Services 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 provider. It provides care and accommodation for up to six children with physical and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since 24 February 2021. The provider is yet to appoint a new manager. A registered manager from another children’s home operated by the organisation is currently acting as the interim manager.

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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 26 April 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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 5 February 2020

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report children's home: SC064117 2

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted conducted a monitoring visit on 10 March 2021. The visit raised serious concerns in respect of the safeguarding arrangements at the home. As a result, Ofsted issued a notice of restriction of accommodation on 16 March 2021. The home was also subject to three compliance notices, under regulation 12, regulation 13 and regulation 23.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted conducted a further monitoring visit on 26 April 2021. Inspectors found that sufficient progress had been made for the compliance notices to be considered met. The restriction of accommodation notice remained in place. Inspection report children's home: SC064117 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/02/2020 Full Good 10/10/2019 Interim Not judged 02/05/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC064117 4

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improvement to be good

There are currently four children living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Managers are making progress to address the shortfalls identified at the previous monitoring visits. As a result, the restriction of accommodation notice has been allowed to lapse. However, many of these improvements remain in their infancy.

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improvement to be good

A key factor affecting the pace of progress is the ongoing shortage of permanent staff. Despite the managers’ efforts to try and recruit new staff, children are continuing to have different people caring for them. There have been occasions when the number of staff working in the home has not matched children’s needs. As a result, children’s day-to-day care experiences vary. This ongoing shortfall means that children are not able to form trusting relationships with people who care for them.

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improvement to be good

Staff hold regular children’s meetings and carry out individual work with children to consult them about their care. However, some staff still do not have the skills and tools to enable them to communicate with children effectively. This shortfall means that children’s views are not always included in their individual case records.

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improvement to be good

Children are helped to develop their life skills in readiness for adult life. For example, staff encourage children to get involved in shopping and preparing meals.

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improvement to be good

Staff develop positive working relationships with children’s parents. As a result, parents feel involved in their child’s care.

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improvement to be good

All children have detailed risk assessments that staff ensure are kept up to date. Children also benefit from having individual behaviour plans that staff follow. This helps to strengthen the systems that keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff have made changes to the home environment. Children’s bedrooms are now more sensory and child friendly. However, the response to maintenance needs continues to be too slow. This delay fails to ensure that children live in a comfortable and homely environment.

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improvement to be good

Previous improvements to the management of medication have not been sustained. As a result, incidents still occur. For example, on occasion, one child has not received their correct medication. This inconsistent practice fails to prioritise children’s health and well-being. Inspection report children's home: SC064117 5 Senior managers have failed to identify that the organisation’s procedures for the safe recruitment of staff do not meet regulation. Procedures do not always meet the requirement to verify, for a person who has worked with children and/or vulnerable adults, the reason why their previous position ended. This means managers do not have all relevant information when determining if an individual is safe to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers recognise the impact that not having a permanent staff team has on progress to improve the quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite recent improvements in the training that staff receive, there remain gaps in the skills of the staff. For example, only half of the staff team have received awareness training in understanding epilepsy. This is despite the fact that it is a condition affecting some children who live at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff told the inspector that they feel supported by managers and that this helps them to develop their practice. However, this is not reinforced through regular supervision. This creates a missed opportunity to formalise and review staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are omissions in the management monitoring systems to support oversight of the service. This has a direct impact on children’s care. For example, managers were not aware that staff had missed four telephone consultations that affected two children. This was despite the children’s paediatrician writing to the home to raise a concern. In addition, managers were not aware that some children’s records were password protected. This has resulted in key information not being available. This does not demonstrate effective leadership of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers do not document complaints in sufficient detail. This means that it is not always possible to determine whether a complaint has been fully investigated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

As a result of the shortfalls identified at this inspection Ofsted has issued two compliance notices, under regulations 13 and regulation 23. Inspection report children's home: SC064117 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

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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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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)(b)(iv)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that staff have the skills and tools that they require to communicate with the children who live in the home. Also, to ensuring that maintenance of the home is carried out in a timely manner. 15 August 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

promotes their welfare. 18 July 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC064117 7 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that staff receive the training that reflects the needs of the children who live in the home. Also, that there are sufficient staff permanently employed at the home, and there is an effective monitoring system in place.

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Requirement Due date

*The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that there are clear systems in place for the safe management of children’s medication. 18 July 2021

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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, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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. 15 August 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC064117 8 (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This refers to ensuring that managers comply with Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees —

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that employees receive supervision in line with the organisation’s policy. 15 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that information that is retained electronically is held in such a way as to enable access for anyone with a legitimate need to view it. In particular this refers to the storage of core children’s documents and information regarding complaints. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)  The registered person should ensure that children are actively encouraged to participate in their plans and records and that their views are incorporated. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)

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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: SC064117 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Progress Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Progress House, 127 Millfields Road, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire WV4 6JG

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Inspector

Tracey Coglan Greig, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC064117 10 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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