Children's Home run by Young Birch Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2618755 1 Registered provider: Young Birch Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. It is registered for up to three children who may have social and/or emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was appointed on 15 October 2021 and is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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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: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

The home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 3 August 2021, due to concerns in relation to the admission and safeguarding arrangements for children and the management oversight of the home. As a result of the full inspection, a notice of suspension of registration, three compliance notices and nine requirements were raised. Inspection report for children’s home: 2618755 2 A monitoring visit was carried out on 15 September 2021. Two of three compliance notices were deemed not to have been met. Two compliance notices and six requirements were reissued, and the notice of suspension remained in place.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring inspection took place on 18 October 2021 to review the suspension notice. No further requirements were made, and the notice of suspension of registration was lifted. Inspection report for children’s home: 2618755 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/08/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2618755 4

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improvement to be good

Staff have a developing understanding of the needs of the one child who currently lives at the home. The child has made some progress. For example, staff have developed routines for the child that encourage him to go to school. The child is attending full-time education.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always work with the child using the therapeutic approach as detailed in the home’s statement of purpose. As a result, staff are not yet consistently supporting the child’s emotional health and well-being as effectively as they could. Despite this, staff have supported the child with his physical health needs. This includes ensuring that the child takes his medication as prescribed and supporting him to attend his primary health appointments.

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improvement to be good

Staff are trying to create positive relationships with the child. They are committed and motivated to help the child have positive opportunities. The child enjoys a range of activities, such as going to theme parks, attending a football club and going out in the local community. Another child who has recently left the home did not have such a positive experience. Staff were unable to establish a relationship with the child and the child refused to live in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff support and promote children’s relationships with their family members. Staff help maintain these relationships through phone calls and face-to-face meetings. The staff have built positive relationships with the child’s family. Staff keep family members well informed about their child.

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improvement to be good

The home environment needs some repair and decoration following recent damage. This includes the walls in some areas of the home that are marked and look grubby. In other areas of the home, soft furnishings are absent and this detracts from the overall appearance of the home. The manager has a development plan to address these shortfalls.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always tailor their approach to the individual needs of the child. For example, when children move into the home, they are required to sign numerous documents about the rules they must follow. This bureaucratic and formal approach is not well thought out. Similarly, when staff undertake direct work with the child, there is little thought or creativity involved in how to complete this work.

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improvement to be good

One area of the house is unsafe for the current child living in the home. Specifically, the child can gain access to the stair banister on the top floor of the house which, if climbed, could pose a fall risk. Staff discourage the child from accessing this area of Inspection report for children’s home: 2618755 5 the home, but further safety measures have not been implemented to mitigate the current risk.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments and behaviour management plans are in place to guide staff on how to manage the child’s behaviour. When incidents occur, the manager considers further actions that could support the child. Despite this, staff have not always been effective or consistent in their response to the child’s behaviour. This has resulted in situations escalating and staff physically restraining the child to keep him safe. However, staff practice is improving and staff are becoming increasingly consistent in their approach and this has helped to reduce the number and severity of incidents.

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improvement to be good

The manager responds appropriately to safeguarding concerns, such as allegations. He liaises with relevant professionals, such as the local authority designated officer, and puts safeguards in place to keep children safe.

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good

The manager has been in post since October 2021. He is new to the management role and is still developing in this position. The manager has identified areas for improvement in the home, but has not yet made the necessary changes to address these.

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good

The home has an independent person who visits the home monthly to support the manager in his monitoring of the home. Overall, the manager acts on the advice given. However, at times, the manager is slow at acting on some of the recommendations made by the independent person.

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good

The manager is in the process of completing a quality of care review. This will assist the manager in prioritising the areas of development needed in the home.

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good

Staff have completed relevant training to give them an understanding in topics such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder and safeguarding. Staff have also completed other contextual safeguarding training, including child exploitation, extremism and radicalisation. Despite the range of training completed, staff are not yet skilled in delivering the home’s chosen therapeutic model of care. This means that children do not always receive care in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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good

The manager supports the staff team’s development by providing them with supervision sessions and regular team meetings. The staff team speak highly of the manager and describe him as being readily available and having an open-door policy. Inspection report for children’s home: 2618755 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

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

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (c)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to building positive relationships with children and completing direct work that is age-appropriate. 24 June 2022

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The specifically relates to the home environment being well maintained and the staircase being made safe for the children living in the home. 27 May 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. 24 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2618755 7 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, 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 improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (a) (2)(a)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff having the skills to provide therapeutic care to children and respond to them in a way that supports their emotional health and well-being. In addition, this relates to the manager implementing monitoring and review systems that allow him to challenge staff’s responses to children.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that a quality of care review is completed at least once every six months. The generated report should be sent to Ofsted and to the placing local authority for any children living in the home. (‘Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraphs 15.2 and 15.3)

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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: 2618755 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Young Birch Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Station Avenue, Tile Hill, Coventry CV4 9HS

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Inspector

Lisa O’Donovan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2618755 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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