Children's Home run by Stanfield Care Services Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: 1258026 1 Registered provider: Stanfield Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to two children with complex needs. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2021.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We visited the setting on 16 September 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. During this visit, Ofsted found serious and widespread concerns.

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Information about this children’s home

A monitoring visit was carried out on 4 November 2020. The reports are 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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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 20 November 2019

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1258026 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/11/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 13/08/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1258026 3

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inadequate

One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection. Since the monitoring visit, two children have moved on from the home. Matching has not been carefully considered by managers to understand the potential impact of the needs, risks and behaviours of children moving into the home on those already living there. This contributed to one child experiencing an unplanned ending and moving on sooner than anticipated.

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inadequate

A poor approach to physical intervention and safeguarding contributes to the inadequate judgement at this inspection.

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inadequate

Staff do not receive appropriate training to respond sensitively and appropriately to children when they experience difficulties. In addition, behaviour management plans are not individual to children’s needs, and staff have a lack of clear guidance about how to manage children’s behaviours effectively. Consequently, staff are not always able to de-escalate challenging situations, and police have been called to the home to help staff to manage children’s behaviours. This has had an adverse effect on children’s experiences and outcomes.

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inadequate

There have been errors made by staff in administering medication. Although the registered manager has taken some steps to address these issues with staff, these do not go far enough to prevent reoccurrence. This has the potential to compromise children’s health and well-being.

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inadequate

Children make some progress from their starting points. For example, the child living at the home is starting to take an interest in engaging with staff to do small tasks, such as bringing his laundry downstairs and making small meals. Staff are also encouraging him to engage in leisure activities outside the home, such as playing laser quest and going to a trampoline park. As a result, the child has some positive experiences and is learning some new skills.

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inadequate

With staff support, the child positively engages in learning and is making progress from his starting point. The child attends a college placement three times a week and is undertaking a course in construction which he enjoys.

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inadequate

Children are supported to keep in touch with people who are important to them. For example, the child is supported to spend time with his parent and siblings at the family home. In addition, staff respond positively to requests for additional family time and they recently facilitated a Christmas shopping trip. This good support helps children to maintain positive relationships with family members. Inspection report children’s home: 1258026 4

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

The model of physical intervention implemented at the home is unsuitable for use in a children’s home. Staff are trained in breakaway techniques that involve causing pain to children. This is unacceptable and it is of significant concern that the registered provider has sanctioned the use of pain-inducing techniques on children.

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

When children have made allegations against staff, managers have not responded to these promptly. One allegation was not referred to the designated officer until the matter was identified by the inspector. Not following safeguarding procedures leaves children at risk of harm and prevents other agencies from taking immediate safeguarding action.

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

Ofsted reported the above concerns to the designated officer so that these can be investigated.

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

On one occasion, staff locked the kitchen door during an incident which restricted a child’s movements and served to escalate an already difficult situation. The manager did not address this with staff afterwards. Ineffective oversight of staff practice does not help staff to reflect and learn.

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

Children know how to complain. However, when they do, managers do not respond with sensitivity, and responses to children fail to take account of the child’s perspective. For example, on one occasion, feedback to the child was driven by the findings of an investigation rather than exploring the child’s concerns, explaining what action had been taken and how he would be supported .

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has been without the support of a deputy until recently and has not had relevant support from senior managers to enable her to manage the home effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

For the most part during the inspection, the responsible individual defended the use of the techniques used in the provider’s approach to physical intervention. The registered provider failed to see the concerns raised by the inspector in using pain- inducing techniques on children. Until this was pointed out by the inspector, the provider had not thought to review and revise the approach to behaviour management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff supervision and that for the manager is not reflective and does not help to develop practice and devise and implement clear action plans. This means that shortfalls affecting the care and safety of children are not addressed. In addition, poor staff support and a lack of effective oversight of the management of the home limit the improvements in the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not have all the skills and knowledge to care for children appropriately and safely. Although staff receive training in understanding the child’s specific needs, Inspection report children’s home: 1258026 5 they do not always implement their learning when caring for the child. This is not addressed by managers and leaves the child vulnerable to the risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Due to the significant shortfalls identified as part of this inspection, one compliance notice and a notice to restrict accommodation was issued. Inspection report children’s home: 1258026 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff are trained and skilled in de- escalating challenging situations. 30 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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each 30 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 1258026 7 child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) 30 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

*Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child).

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b) (2)) 17 December

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 30 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1)) 30 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 1258026 8 An individual may only carry on a children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (1) (7)(a)(b)) 30 January 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;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 30 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located. (Regulation 34 (1)(b) (2)(b)) 30 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2)) 30 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. 30 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 1258026 9 The registered person must ensure that no child is subject to any reprisal for making a complaint or representation. (Regulation 39 (3) (4))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to ensuring that when a child makes a complaint, managers ensure that responses to the child about the complaint are child centred.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 1258026 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stanfield Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 6, Cuckoo Wharf, 435 Lichfield Road, Birmingham, Warwickshire B6 7SS

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Inspector

Shazana Jamal, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1258026 11 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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