Children's home run by Care and Management Services Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC419217 1 SC419217 Registered provider: Care and Management Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately operated children’s home provides care for up to two children who have experienced early childhood trauma and may exhibit complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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: 21 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: SC419217 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2020 Full Good 04/02/2019 Full Good 27/09/2017 Full Good 14/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC419217 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with stability and security. For one child, there has been a significant decrease in the need for physical interventions. For another child, there has been a reduction in the number of incidents. As a result, children are settled and making good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers support the children to engage in activities. The children attend arranged activities, such as trips to theme parks and the cinema and bike riding. As a result, children are able to engage in enjoyable experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff support children to have positive moves out of the home. For example, as part of one child’s experience of a well-planned move, and to provide the child with memories, staff gave them a personalised comic strip that captured important moments at the home. This approach provides children with positive endings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have mixed experiences in education. One child has remained in a consistent education placement and has good attendance. Another child experienced a delay in an education provision being put in place and the registered manager raised concerns about this with the placing authority. To support the child while they waited for a placement, staff and managers implemented an education timetable that included a variety of tasks. This demonstrates the commitment of staff and managers to helping children to progress in their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are able to share their views. ‘Young people’s meetings’ take place regularly and children understand how to complain. Children told the inspector that they have positive relationships with staff and are able to share concerns with them. As a result, children’s voices are heard.

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

Staff and managers are aware of children’s risks and implement strategies to keep them safe. Monthly risk-management meetings take place between staff and the in- house clinical team. These inform children’s risk assessments and staff’s approach. This has contributed to a decrease in incidents.

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

Children are cared for by staff who are reliable and consistent. Staff are aware of the strategies to support children and they reflect on their approach. This means that children have clear boundaries but also receive care that is adapted to their needs. As a result, children feel secure and well supported.

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

Staff and managers complete key-work sessions with children, which are child- centred and link to the children’s care plans. The sessions provide children with Inspection report children’s home: SC419217 4 opportunities to develop their knowledge around risk and to learn to keep themselves safe.

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

Managers respond to allegations appropriately. When allegations are made, the registered manager takes the required action and the children are supported. This demonstrates that children are listened to and that their safety is a priority.

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

Overall, children feel safe at the home. They have developed positive relationships with staff, and are able to be open and honest with them. When children share information, staff respond in a caring and child-centred way. These relationships provide children with a safe space to share concerns and benefit from the support staff offer.

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

The use of physical intervention is proportionate. When physical interventions take place, child-friendly letters are written to children to support them. However, physical intervention records are not consistently clear, which may hinder the registered manager’s oversight of practice within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is passionate about children. She recognises the experiences the children have faced and works with the staff team to support the children. This approach helps children to make positive progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is an advocate for children. She actively challenges the decision-making by children’s professionals when children are not being provided with appropriate care. This demonstrates the registered manager’s child-centred practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager monitors the quality of care at the home. She uses an assessment tool to monitor the needs of the children and the progress they are making. This allows for changes to be made to the children’s care plans to ensure that the support they receive maximises their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that is child-centred and considers the development of staff. Staff have positive relationships with the registered manager and feel supported. Staff work well together as a team and support each other. As a result, children receive consistent care, enabling them to make good progress in their personal development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff undertake an array of training courses to support them in their roles. However, this training provides only basic knowledge and skills to care for children and does not provide staff with extensive knowledge around specific areas that are important to working with children at the home. This results in missed opportunities to enhance the care children receive. Inspection report children’s home: SC419217 5

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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

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that records clearly include the duration of physical intervention and an accurate description of the methods used. 23 December

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: SC419217 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care and Management Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Park Business Centre, Hastingwood Industrial Park, Wood Lane, Birmingham, Warwickshire B24 9QR

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Inspector

Melanie Griffin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC419217 7 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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