Children's Home run by Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: 1273663 1 Registered provider: Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for 12 children with learning disabilities. Children can stay beyond the age of 18 while they finish their education.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a local authority children’s trust. The registered manager has extensive experience and knowledge.

p.1

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.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 13 and 14 October 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 17 February 2020

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1273663 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/08/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/03/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 20/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1273663 3

p.2

improvement to be good

There are 10 children living in the home. Since the last inspection, two children have left the home and one child has moved in.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff have had mixed success in promoting children’s outcomes. For example, children’s opportunities to access activities of their choice in the community are limited. In part, this has been as a result of the restrictions linked to COVID-19. However, when restrictions have eased, staff have not fully considered how to enable children to re-engage in activities in a safe way. This means that there has been a delay in children accessing previously enjoyed activities or exploring new hobbies.

p.3

improvement to be good

One child has caused damage to his bedroom window. As a result, the window has been temporarily boarded up. There has been a delay in accessing building materials to replace the window. This has had an impact on the child because, on warm nights, he has been unable to open his window for ventilation. To address this issue, staff moved the child to a different bedroom. However, the child, who does not cope well with change, became very distressed at moving bedrooms and therefore had to be returned to his own bedroom. At the time of the inspection, the window remained boarded up.

p.3

improvement to be good

In some instances, managers have not ensured that staff have access to all relevant information about children. For example, not all statutory documents have been obtained from the local authority and shared with the staff. This means that there are some gaps in information about how best to support children.

p.3

improvement to be good

Despite these shortfalls, staff have worked hard to support children in many aspects of their lives. For example, children attend school on a regular basis and are making progress. Children’s successes in school are acknowledged and celebrated by staff. The effective communication between home and school staff ensures that everyone is kept up to date with important information about children. This promotes a consistent approach to supporting children both at home and in school.

p.3

improvement to be good

The planning for those children who have moved into the home has been well co- ordinated by the manager. Similarly, staff have been successful in preparing and helping those children who have moved out of the home. For example, staff provided one child with a detailed timeline to help him understand what would happen before he left the home. This plan included the child visiting his new home and meeting the new staff who will care for him. As a result of the staff team’s forward planning, the child moved into his new home without any disruption. Inspection report children’s home: 1273663 4 Children say that they enjoy living in the home. This is because children have good relationships with staff. Children respect and trust staff. One child told the inspector that he loved living at the home and wants to live there forever.

p.3

improvement to be good

The staff and manager have not monitored and acted on maintenance issues in the home. As a result, some aspects of the home environment posed a potential risk to children. During the visit, the inspector identified that a drain cover in the garden was missing, lead flashing on a low-level roof was hanging off, and a window in a child’s bathroom was cracked. The inspector informed the manager who then acted to remove the hazards.

p.4

improvement to be good

The fire safety of the home is compromised. This is because staff use door wedges to keep fire doors open. This means that in the event of a fire children would be at increased risk of harm. Managers have not undertaken an assessment of the risks associated with using door wedges or sought relevant expert advice about this practice.

p.4

improvement to be good

Medication is not always given to children at the prescribed time. For example, one child is not usually home from school at the time he is prescribed to have his medication. Staff have not sought advice to consider the impact of this medication being given late, or to request whether the medication can be prescribed to be given at an alternative time.

p.4

improvement to be good

Controlled medication is stored centrally near the main office rather than in children’s individual homes. To administer children’s medication, two staff have to leave their allocated homes to attend the office and gain access to the controlled medication. This temporarily reduces the availability of staff to supervise children. This has not had a direct impact on the safety or welfare of children. However, for short periods of time the required number of staff may not be immediately available to ensure that children are safe.

p.4

improvement to be good

Risk assessments provide staff with clear guidance on how to manage known risks. When incidents occur, staff consider any learning and use this to update the agreed strategies that are in place to protect children.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff are typically successful at managing children’s behaviours. As staff are able to de-escalate situations and take pre-emptive action, the use of physical interventions is low.

p.4

good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified registered manager. She is well supported by a deputy manager and three assistant managers. Managers are child focused and know children well. Although managers work hard to continually Inspection report children’s home: 1273663 5 improve the care provided to children, some areas of improvement have been missed or have been slow to be acted on. Due to this, one requirement raised at the last inspection has been restated and five new requirements have been raised.

p.4

good

Most of the staff have worked at the home for several years. The registered manager has used non-permanent staff who the children already know to manage the gaps in staffing. For example, a retired member of staff has been covering some shifts in the home. As a result, children are looked after by staff who they are familiar with.

p.5

good

Managers provide permanent staff with regular supervision sessions. This ensures that staff feel well supported. However, some non-permanent staff members, who have undertaken regular work in the home, have not received supervision sessions. This is a missed opportunity to give those staff feedback about their performance and assess their professional development.

p.5

good

Overall, staff have the experience and knowledge to meet the needs of children. Staff are provided with the required training to help them to care for children. However, in one example staff have not been given specific training to support their understanding of a child’s additional complex needs. This has limited staff’s insight in how best to address this aspect of the child needs.

p.5

good

Managers maintain good working relationships with other professionals. An advocate provided feedback about the management and said, ‘I have a positive relationship with the management and staff.’ Good communication between the home and other agencies contributes to a collaborative approach to helping and supporting children. Inspection report children’s home: 1273663 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

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))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that staff report, record and repair hazards. 27 August 2021

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that monitoring of the home informs the development of the quality of care. 27 August 2021

p.6

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. 27 August 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 1273663 7 In particular the registered person must ensure that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that staff adhere to the prescribed medication and relocate the controlled drugs cabinet. After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

p.7

Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that staff assess the risk of using door wedges and consult with the fire and rescue authority. 27 August 2021

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that all staff, including those non-permanent staff who regularly work in the home, receive practice-related supervision. 27 August 2021

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that staff have access to children’s statutory documents. 27 August 2021

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s homes staff should seek to identify and provide appropriate opportunities for children to develop themselves in accordance with their wishes and feelings and as part of the home’s plan for their care. Each child’s talents and interests should be understood and nurtured, with children selecting activities based on their personal preferences and abilities, so far as is reasonable. Staff should also support children to try activities that are Inspection report children’s home: 1273663 8 ‘new’ for them, where appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff are suitably trained to meet the needs of children in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 15.2)

p.7

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: 1273663 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company

p.9

Children’s home details

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

p.9

Inspector

Michelle Spruce, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1273663 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10