Children's home run by Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company

Inspection report children’s home: 1273485 1 Registered provider: Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is a short-break service for seven children who have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

This home has operated for over 40 years. It is one of four homes operated by a local authority trust since March 2018. The registered manager has extensive experience and knowledge.

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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 23 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 good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 27 January 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1273485 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/01/2020 Full Good 14/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1273485 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy their short-break experiences because they are cared for by staff who are well established and have been working at the home for several years. Staff show patience, respect and dignity when managing children’s needs. This approach by staff helps children to thrive and develop.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships flourish because staff consider each child when matching them into individual groups for the duration of their stay. This ensures that children get the best out of their stay. One child was happy to see his friend arriving and began to speak his friend’s name while smiling. This demonstrates positive relationships between children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in regular participation meetings. Staff encourage children to use their preferred communication system to express their wishes and feelings. Where possible, staff act on children’s wishes. For example, recent consultation with children has meant a themed bedroom has now been changed to reflect their choice and preference.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s health and well-being. Children receive home-cooked meals that are nutritional and reflect the children’s dietary requirements. Signs and symbols are available for children with limited speech to help them choose their meal. As a result, mealtimes are an enjoyable experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with a range of activities both on and off site. A staff member shared photographs of children making t-shirts at their local children’s club. Despite restrictions during the pandemic, staff have remained determined to ensure that children enjoy their time by making good use of the resources in the home. This has enabled children to develop their personal skills and independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A parent spoke about how staff are helping her child to return to the service following a period of closure. To help the child reintegrate into the service, staff have provided dinner-time visits that allow a gentle reintroduction at a pace that is suitable for the child. This sensitive approach by staff ensures that children do not miss out on their short-break experience.

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

Staff know children’s strengths and vulnerabilities well. They have clear safeguarding policies and procedures that enable them to safely care for children. Risks identified in children’s healthcare plans are cross-referenced to individual risk assessments. Staff manage these risks and vulnerabilities appropriately. This promotes children’s welfare. Inspection report children’s home: 1273485 4 Staff recognise children’s progress from their starting points and celebrate this with them. Praise and positive reinforcement help children to understand what acceptable behaviour is. This approach raises children’s self-esteem and helps them to feel valued.

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

Staff provide children with consistent routines and boundaries, which help them to feel safe and secure. Clear behaviour management plans provide staff with guidance on how to manage children’s behaviour effectively. Staff understand the triggers for behaviour and know how best to support children. They do this well.

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

Children do not go missing from care. Managers maintain staffing levels to ensure that supervision is good enough to keep children safe.

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

Physical intervention is rarely used. This is because staff are successful at promoting positive behaviours and de-escalating any challenging behaviours. There has only been one restraint recorded since December 2018.

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

On the one occasion that a physical intervention was used, the registered manager did not complete a debrief with staff in the required timescales. Furthermore, the two staff involved in this incident had not completed their annual refresher training in positive behaviour management. Although this did not compromise the child’s safety, in this incident the registered manager has not ensured that the staff have had the required training.

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

Complaints and allegations of harm or abuse are managed well. The registered manager responds to and investigates any concerns raised. Staff have thorough knowledge of the safeguarding procedures.

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

The registered manager ensures that the home is maintained to a high standard. Routine health and safety monitoring keeps the home free from hazards. Parents and professionals feel that children are safe and cared for when accessing their short break.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager. She is proud of her staff who are long-standing in their service. The registered manager said, ‘The staff are great. I am proud of them.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is experienced and knowledgeable. This means that it has the skills and knowledge to support and help children. Overall, staff are provided with an appropriate range of training to meet the needs of the children in their care. Staff know children well and work hard to promote their positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the registered manager. This has contributed to the high retention rate of staff. As a result, children are cared for by familiar and well-known staff who they have good relationships with. Inspection report children’s home: 1273485 5 The registered manager uses a range of monitoring and review systems to evaluate the quality of care provided to children. She has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas of development. When required improvements are identified, she acts on these quickly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff keep parents and professional up to date with children’s progress. This ensures that there is a co-ordinated approach to meeting children’s needs. When parents have concerns or questions, they feel able to discuss these with staff and the registered manager. This helps parents to feel listened to and involved in children’s care and support. Inspection report children’s home: 1273485 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 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 specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that all staff are adequately trained in the principles of restraint and any techniques appropriate to the needs of the children. 16 October 2021

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that a record of supervision sessions is kept for staff, including non-permanent staff. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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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: 1273485 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Michelle Spruce, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1273485 8 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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