Children's Home run by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council in Dudley

Inspection report children's home: SC038500 1 SC038500 Registered provider: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a local authority. It provides care and accommodation for up to four children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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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 inspection 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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 3 March 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 requires improvement to be good

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children's home: SC038500 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/08/2019 Full Good 18/09/2018 Full Good 28/11/2017 Full Good 07/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC038500 3

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improvement to be good

The children’s experiences at this home are varied. This is due to high levels of staffing changes and frequent incidents in the home. This has had a negative impact on the experiences of children living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Processes to successfully support children to move into the home are not always followed. For example, one impact risk assessment failed to consider all known risks in the local area and a child’s previous risk-taking behaviour. In addition, the manager failed to ensure that a placement planning meeting took place or that the child’s placement plan was updated. This practice has had a detrimental impact on the quality of care provided.

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improvement to be good

The acting manager has a development plan in place to improve the living environment. The children’s bedrooms are personalised, and some communal spaces have been redecorated. However, there is a roll-down shutter between the dining room and kitchen, and rips in some of the carpets. This detracts from a homely environment and gives the home an institutional feel.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to complete a variety of activities. This includes attending local youth clubs and participating in children in care council meetings. These activities encourage children to have fun and build positive social relationships.

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improvement to be good

Children attend suitable education provisions. When children face difficulties within the school environment, the manager supports reintegration into education. In addition, the manager advocates for children and has ensured that a child’s educational, health and care plan is completed. This ensures that children receive appropriate education and reduces barriers to learning.

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improvement to be good

The staff are aware of the importance of families and friends in maintaining children’s identities. Staff will take children long distances to see loved ones and complete weekly calls to family members to provide updates on care. A family member said that staff communicate well and are thoughtful. This helps children maintain relationships that are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Children have been unsettled at times, which has increased risk-taking behaviour. During inspection, staff identified the children’s risks and vulnerabilities and how to respond to these. However, the written risk assessments do not provide clear guidance for staff to follow. For example, there is no assessment in place for a child using the internet unsupervised or a child spending unsupervised time in the Inspection report children's home: SC038500 4 community. While this has not had any serious consequence so far, it has the potential to do so.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond to incidents of children going missing from home. However, the missing-from-home protocol is not clear and leads to inconsistencies in staff practice. For example, there was one occasion when a staff member did not follow the child and another when there was a delay in calling the police. Therefore, plans do not reflect all that the staff should be doing to keep the children safe and may compromise children’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Physical intervention is used to keep children or others safe. Children and staff are given the opportunity to discuss their views following the use of a physical intervention. However, the recording of interventions requires improvement. For example, two records failed to provide clear information about the length of the intervention. This is a missed opportunity to learn from incidents.

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improvement to be good

Children’s positive behaviour is recognised and rewarded by staff. Staff celebrate children’s achievements and recognise progress. During the inspection, one child told staff about a planned trip to the theatre to celebrate her educational achievements. This helps children develop an understanding of socially acceptable behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment practices are safe. This ensures that only suitable people work in the home. Health and safety checks confirm the safety of the premises.

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good

Since last inspection, there have been significant changes to leadership and management. A new manager has been appointed, and she is applying for registration with Ofsted. The acting manager and responsible individual acknowledge the weaknesses identified at inspection. During inspection, the acting manager compiled a plan to rectify shortfalls.

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good

There have been a number of staffing changes in the home. The manager has ensured that supervision is frequent, and that team meetings take place. During the inspection, the manager highlighted that she had organised additional reflective sessions. This has helped promote a culture of stability and consistency.

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good

Not all staff have completed mandatory training. This includes safeguarding and fire safety training. In addition, there are gaps in training that is specifically related to the needs of the children living in the home. Therefore, the manager cannot demonstrate that staff are suitably trained in understanding children’s need and related risks.

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good

The manager’s monitoring of the home has not been effective in identifying shortfalls and responding to these. For example, the manager has failed to review all sanctions used in the home. In addition, the manager did not ensure that all actions Inspection report children's home: SC038500 5 within a child’s health plan had been achieved within set timescales. Currently, monitoring systems do not support the manager to evaluate the care children are receiving, and this compromises children’s well-being.

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good

The acting manager has not updated the home’s statement of purpose to include changes to the management and staffing structure. This does not ensure that Ofsted have a good overview of the home. Inspection report children's home: SC038500 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that the children’s risk assessments consider and assess all known risks. 20 November

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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 experiences, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that all staff complete mandatory training and child specific 20 November Inspection report children's home: SC038500 7 training. In addition, the manager is to ensure that incidents are recorded to enable monitoring of the care provided.

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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

The care planning standard is that children —

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that children’s transitions into the home are planned effectively. 20 November

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (5))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the staffing list in the statement of purpose being up to date.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 20 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the missing child policy") setting out—

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Requirement Due date

the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children from being absent without permission; and

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Requirement Due date

the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, so absent. (Regulation 34 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to the registered manager ensuring that the staff adequately respond to incidents of missing from home, and the manager evaluates the effectiveness of each response. 20 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that —

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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— 20 November Inspection report children's home: SC038500 8 a description of the measure and its duration. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that recording of the interventions used is clear.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children and they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC038500 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Council House, Priory Road, Dudley DY1 1HF

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Inspector

Sophie Hills, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC038500 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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