Children's home run by Stepping Stones Care (Midlands) Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2620992 1 Registered provider: Stepping Stones Care (Midlands) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned by an independent company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, often related to their life experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

Ofsted granted the home registration on 23 March 2021. This is the home’s first inspection.

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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: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2620992 2

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. Since the home was registered in March 2021, five children have lived here. One child moved on quickly, due to managers not matching him to the home in a robust way. When children have moved from the home in a planned way, the transition has been thorough and well planned, and included the home providing support for parents.

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improvement to be good

The home provides a welcoming environment and is decorated nicely. Children’s photos are displayed on the walls and their bedrooms are personalised. This helps children to feel a sense of belonging and of being valued.

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improvement to be good

Staff have positive relationships with children. They know them well and talk about them with pride. Children who live in this home make positive progress with their education and health, and their ability to manage their emotions. However, there are shortfalls that mean this home requires improvement to be good.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not robustly match children to the home. For one child, this meant he left the home after living there for one week. This has a negative impact on the care and experience children receive.

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improvement to be good

Children all told the inspector they are happy living in this home. None of the children would change anything about the home and staff, and two children scored the care they receive in the home 10 out of 10. Children are consulted well about the care they receive and engage in their plans and assessments. Staff support them to understand and review their own progress. This helps children to reflect on their journey, acknowledge their achievements and build on their self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Children participate in a range of activities, including driving lessons. These are aimed at providing them with opportunities to relax and to enjoy their leisure time, and at the same time promote their independence and social skills. Children take friends with them on day trips and to music gigs, and friends visit for dinner and movie nights. These experiences allow children to develop and nurture their friendships. This means that staff know the children’s friends and families and helps them to know who they are spending time with.

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improvement to be good

Children in this home have made good progress. Staff have in-depth sessions with children to educate them and help them understand risks and dangers that they may experience. Staff are proactive in sharing information and making the relevant referrals to agencies to further support children when a need is identified. Inspection report for children’s home: 2620992 3 The staff support children’s positive behaviours with rewards and praise. Due to the positive relationships between staff and children there is mutual respect and trust. Children can identify adults they can talk to and understand how to make a complaint if they need to.

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improvement to be good

However, there are shortfalls that mean the help and protection children receive requires improvement to be good. When children go missing from the home, staff follow the protocol promptly. However, on one occasion, the manager failed to ensure there were enough staff to follow a child when he went missing. This means that there is a potential delay in finding children and returning them safely to the home.

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improvement to be good

During the inspection, the inspector alerted the staff to a strong smell of cannabis in a child’s bedroom. Cannabis and tobacco resin was seen in the child’s room. Staff were unaware of this, despite the known risk and previous room searches being conducted. Illegal substances in the home present a risk to all children living there. Staff were quick to share the concerns with the relevant professionals after the incident to provide additional support for the child.

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improvement to be good

All children have individualised risk assessments in place. However, these assessments do not always capture an appropriate level of detail to guide staff in how to deal with known risks, for example, what to do should a child become unwell when using substances.

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good

The registered manager has recently left her post. The new manager has worked in the home since it opened in another role and has had a thorough handover and induction period. She has applied to Ofsted to become the registered manager.

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good

Managers are child focused, nurturing and passionate about the progress children make. Managers have an open and reflective approach to learning and understand the home’s strengths and weaknesses. Staff morale is good. Staff are happy in their roles and feel well supported and there is a strong sense of teamwork in caring for children.

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good

However, there are weaknesses in leadership and management. Managers have failed to complete regular practice-based supervision for bank staff within the timescales the organisation had set itself. This is a missed opportunity to develop staff practice and review their performance.

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good

Managers have failed to ensure the statement of purpose is accurate. Staff are not trained in the specific therapeutic method stated in the home’s statement of purpose.

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good

Staff and managers have failed to ensure visitors always sign into the home. Therefore, the records are not accurate and the process is not robust. This has an Inspection report for children’s home: 2620992 4 impact on the manager’s oversight of who is visiting the home and the reason for their visit.

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good

Professionals and parents feel they are kept well informed and that there is excellent communication with the staff. One parent told the inspector the difference the staff have made to her child has been ‘life changing’. She said that as a parent she had learned so much from the staff that has improved how she is able to respond to her child. This joined-up approach to working together supports children’s experiences and strengthens relationships. Inspection report for children’s home: 2620992 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to risk assessments detailing all known risks and how staff should support the child if they occur.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring children do not have illegal substances in the home. 12 January 2022

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 12 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2620992 6 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(d)

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring documents required by the statement of purpose are received before a child moves into the home.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the manager ensuring that there are enough staff on shift to look for children when they go missing.

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring a robust matching of children to the staff team and the needs of the other children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to preventing the placement breaking down due to poor matching because of a lack of information about the child. 12 January 2022

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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

The specifically relates to staff being trained in the methods stated. 30 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; 12 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2620992 7 receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to bank staff having regular supervision that is practice related.

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff ensuing there is a record of visitors to the home, including the purpose of their visit. 12 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2620992 8

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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 for children’s home: 2620992 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stepping Stones Care (Midlands) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Apex House, Calthorpe Road, Birmingham B15 1TR

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Inspector

Jodie Lewis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2620992 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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