Children's Home run by Sherlock Healthcare Services Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 1 Registered provider: Sherlock Healthcare Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This service is a private children’s home offering care and accommodation for up to four children who have had adverse early childhood experiences and who have complex needs.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2021 and is suitably experienced and qualified.

p.1

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.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 3 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 5 December 2019

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/12/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/07/2019 Full Good 26/06/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. Most children who move on from the home experience planned moves and staff support their transitions well. One child experienced an unplanned ending, moving on sooner than anticipated. The registered manager has reflected on what happened and implemented learning. Records seen for the most recent child who moved into the home show that matching was well considered.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff. During the inspection, the inspector observed caring and nurturing interactions between children and staff. Staff undertake good-quality direct work with children, enabling the children to discuss a range of issues, such as their wishes and feelings, education matters and concerns in relation to keeping safe. This promotes trusting and supportive relationships between staff and children and gives children opportunities to learn and reflect.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are carefully considered. The registered manager and staff work hard to include children in the day-to-day running of the home. For example, children were consulted about and involved in making home improvements and changes to the children’s guide. This good work helps children to invest in their home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to take part in community projects. These have ranged from making donations to a food bank to volunteering in a local charity shop. During periods of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, new links with neighbours were established and this has helped children to feel part of the local community.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and the registered manager work diligently to ensure that children are receiving education in line with their interests and needs. One child is undertaking a painting and decorating course and another child started a course with a national charity, which will lead to a course in construction. The registered manager works closely with virtual schools to ensure that children have the right level of support they need.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with children to develop appropriate life and independence skills, such as cooking, cleaning, getting the bus, finance and budgeting. When children are struggling with tasks, staff offer nurture and support and will work at each child’s pace. This helps children develop important skills.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive support to maintain good physical health. When they struggle emotionally, they have access to a range of external services. Staff also seek guidance from the organisation’s psychologist to inform their practice. This promotes children’s welfare. Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 4

p.3

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

When children go missing from home, staff look for them, contact friends and family as appropriate and alert relevant agencies. The registered manager has a good overview of missing-from-home incidents and works well with children, partner agencies and family members to reduce such incidents. Staff work with children to help them to understand why people are concerned for their welfare when they do not return home as planned and explore the reasons why they go missing from the home. For one child, this good work has led to a significant reduction in their missing-from-home incidents.

p.4

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

Well-written risk assessments and plans guide staff practice. Staff implement these plans well and have a good understanding of children’s behaviours and risks. Staff work with children to promote positive behaviours through praise and rewards. This helps children work towards achievable goals.

p.4

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

Procedures around managing allegations are robust. The registered manager shares relevant information with the designated officer for the local authority and attends meetings to help agencies make decisions in relation to safeguarding concerns.

p.4

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

The manager reviews and updates the location risk assessment. However, this document does not include all relevant information about the local area. This was addressed during the inspection.

p.4

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

Staff only used physical intervention as a last resort and after different de-escalation strategies have been tried. Children speak to following a physical intervention incident and are given opportunities to reflect on what happened. On one occasion, when the manager was involved in an incident, she completed the staff debrief and incident review, which did not allow for independent oversight.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager runs the home effectively. She has high aspirations for children and clear expectations of staff. She is caring and has developed this ethos in the home, which creates a warm and nurturing environment for children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager works hard to build an inclusive team whose members are valued and supported. She has implemented new initiatives to help staff understand each other better. For example, the registered manager has introduced Belbin’s theory about team roles. This has led to the creation of staff profiles and an understanding of each staff member’s working style. This has had a positive impact on the quality of care the staff provide to children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Comprehensive training is offered to staff to help them understand the needs of the children they care for. This includes training in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, exploitation and attachment. Senior staff with additional responsibilities are offered training to help them with their roles, such as Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 5 supervision. New training to help staff work more therapeutically with children is being introduced.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and an annual appraisal. Supervision is clearly structured and reflective, which helps staff develop professionally.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager works closely with partner agencies to ensure that children receive the support they need. Social workers spoken to during the inspection confirmed that staff work well with them and the children and have a sound understanding of the children’s needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose has been reviewed and updated; however, it has not been submitted to Ofsted. In addition, monthly independent visitor reports have not been sent to Ofsted in a timely way. This does not keep the regulator up to date with what is happening in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recruitment practice is generally thorough. However, an overseas check for a staff member has not been completed. The registered manager is liaising with the human resources department to ensure that this is addressed. Gaps in recruitment checks mean that unsuitable people may be employed to work with the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.6

Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

p.6

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) (3)(d)) 28 February 2022

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

This is in relation to ensuring that reports are sent to Ofsted in a timely way. 28 February 2022

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that someone independent of an incident involving physical intervention with a child reviews the incident. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should ensure that when revisions are made to the statement of purpose, an updated version is sent to Ofsted within 28 days of the revision. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.10) Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 7  The registered person should ensure that when the location risk assessment is reviewed and updated, it includes all relevant information. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

p.6

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: 1231458 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sherlock Healthcare Services Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Made Simple Group, 20–22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU

p.8

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Hilton Mutariswa

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered manager: Ayisha Kilpatrick-Wood

p.8

Inspector

Shazana Jamal, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9