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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC064117 1 SC064117

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Progress Children’s Services Limited

Monitoring visit 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 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 has appointed a new manager. He is yet to take up his post or apply to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted conducted a monitoring visit to this home on 10 March 2021. The visit was carried out in response to a complaint that Ofsted had received about the children’s home. 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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This monitoring visit

Ofsted conducted a further monitoring visit to the home on 26 April 2021. Inspectors found that sufficient progress had been made for the compliance notices to be considered met. However, staffing remained inconsistent and there was still not a permanent manager in post. Ofsted was not satisfied that the home could provide care to any more than the four children living in the home at that time. As a result, the restriction of accommodation remained in place.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted undertook a full inspection of the home on 2 and 3 June 2021. This inspection found that the previous progress had not been sustained and resulted in an overall inspection judgement of requires improvement to be good, with an inadequate judgement in leadership and management. Ofsted issued two compliance notices. These were again under regulation 13 and regulation 23. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC064117 2 Ofsted undertook a further monitoring visit to the home on 20 July 2021. The inspector found that the staffing arrangements in the home had deteriorated significantly since the full inspection. The registered provider informed Ofsted during the inspection that they could not guarantee sufficient staffing to provide safe care for the children beyond a further three days. As a result, Ofsted issued a notice of suspension to the provider during the inspection. This notice came into

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This monitoring visit

effect from 21 July 2021. Ofsted also issued compliance notices under regulation 6and regulation 13.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted undertook a further monitoring visit on 17 August 2021. This monitoring visit was carried out to review whether the provider had complied with the notice of suspension. The inspector found that the provider had adhered to the notice. All children left the home on 21 July 2021. No children had lived in the home since that date. Both compliance notices and all requirements remained within the date for completion and were not reviewed at that visit. Following that visit, the notice of suspension was lifted.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken to review the action taken by the provider to meet the two compliance notices under regulation 6 and regulation 13. The inspector found that sufficient action has been taken for both compliance notices to be considered met.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has refurbished the children’s home and addressed the longstanding maintenance issues. In addition, changes to the systems for reporting and managing maintenance matters are aimed at removing historical issues of delay.

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This monitoring visit

The provider is actively recruiting a permanent staff team for the home. Clear management oversight of the recruitment process helps to ensure that the staff who are recruited have the required skills and experience for their roles. Recruitment was still ongoing at the time of this visit.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has also met one requirement. The responsible individual has updated the home’s statement of purpose and provided a copy to Ofsted. This ensures that the regulator has accurate, up-to-date information about the care that the home proposes to offer.

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This monitoring visit

At the time of this visit, the home remains non-operational. As a result, it has not been possible to review all of the requirements. These will be considered at the next full inspection of the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC064117 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 02/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/02/2020 Full Good 10/10/2019 Interim Not judged 02/05/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC064117 4

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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; (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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. 14 November 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 14 November 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC064117 5 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that managers implement monitoring systems to ensure that meetings required for the progression of children’s care plans are known about and attended as required.

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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. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that checks are made regarding previous employment with children and vulnerable adults as set out in Schedule 2. 14 November 2021

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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 requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 14 November 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC064117 6 This particularly refers to ensuring that employees receive supervision in line with organisational policy.

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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

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC064117 7

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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 for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC064117 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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