Children's Home run by Monarch Intervention Services Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2624457 1 Registered provider: Monarch Intervention Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A small, private provider owns this home which Ofsted registered in February 2021. It provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home does not have a registered manager. The current manager has been in post since September 2021. Her application has been submitted to Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 8 February 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2624457 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2624457 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children are currently living at the home. Since the last inspection, two children have moved out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager plans well for children moving into the home. The manager considers the needs of the children already living in the home, as well as the staff’s ability to meet the child’s needs. For example, one child was able to visit the home and meet the staff and the other child before moving in. A social worker informed the inspector that this helped her child to feel welcomed. As a result, children settle quickly and develop a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Childrens’ plans are detailed. The staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs and ensure that care plans are fully implemented. The home’s therapist provides additional support to the children and staff to ensure that the emotional needs of the children are met. The therapist meets regularly with the manager and provides further support when new needs emerge. This ensures that children receive the right support to enable them to develop and maintain stable emotional health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work sensitively to support children to understand their own identities and behaviours. This is because staff are creative when exploring important topics such as sexuality and relationships. One child who is exploring their sexuality attended Pride with staff. This supported the child to develop their sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children access education and have been making progress with their learning since living in the home. Managers advocate on behalf of children to ensure that they receive the right support in line with their individual needs. As a result, one child who has previously not attended school for several years is now attending regularly. This enables children to reach their academic goals and aspirations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of relationships and support the children to see family members. This helps the children to maintain positive relationships with their loved ones.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy attending many different activities. Both the children enjoy horse riding lessons and both volunteer at the local stables. These activities not only provide the children with a sense of enrichment but with a sense of purpose.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are given opportunities to provide feedback about how they feel and share their views about the quality of care they receive. Despite this good practice, the manager does not always provide written feedback to the children to acknowledge their views and explain how they will address their concerns. This can leave children feeling that their views are not listened to and acted on. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624457 4

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

Staff work hard to keep children safe. Risk assessments are comprehensive and thorough. The assessments provide staff with clear guidance on how to manage the children’s risks and behaviours. The plans are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that they reflect the children’s current risks. This ensures that staff have the appropriate strategies in place to keep children safe.

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

Staff implement consistent routines and boundaries for the children. They have a good understanding of the children’s risks and understand the reasons behind their behaviours. Staff work closely with the in-house therapist who provides them with guidance and training to support children to manage their behaviours. This helps to reduce the risk of harm to children.

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

There have been a small number of physical interventions since the last inspection. These have been used as a last resort to ensure children’s safety and have been proportionate. Incidents are well recorded, and the manager ensures that the staff and the children are provided with debriefs. This provides children the opportunity for their wishes and feelings to be heard and to discuss why a physical intervention was needed. Similarly, this provides staff with guidance and learning around children’s behaviours and triggers.

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

Incidents of self-harm in the home have increased. However, the staff work closely with other agencies and the home’s therapist to support the children to use different strategies to keep themselves safe. Staff can recognise when children may want to self-harm and respond to them sensitively. For example, one child uses a diary to communicate with the staff how she is feeling. This has encouraged the child to talk about her emotions.

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

Social workers told the inspector that communication from the home is excellent. Staff provide regular updates and they feel that any incidents are well managed. They are happy with the strategies put in place by the home and feel that the home manages risk well.

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

The manager recruits new staff safely. Staff are thoroughly vetted and assessed before any appointment is confirmed. These safe recruitment procedures make sure that children are protected by preventing unsuitable adults from working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The current manager has been in post since September 2021. She has submitted her application to Ofsted. She is suitably qualified and has a wealth of knowledge and experience. The manager has worked hard to develop her staff team to create a nurturing home environment for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has implemented an effective monitoring system. She has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas of development. There is a Inspection report for children’s home: 2624457 5 workforce development plan in place for the continued development of the home and the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at the home and feel supported by the management team. This has contributed to the home having a stable staff team. This means that children are looked after by familiar adults who know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervision and participate in team meetings. Both are beneficial and provide the staff with additional support in developing their skills and knowledge. For example, one member of staff informed the inspector that supervision was a positive experience and it has supported them in their role as a senior worker. The manager is also supported by senior managers and receives regular supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have completed a range of training which is designed to support staff to meet the individual needs of the children. Most staff hold a level 3 qualification, and those who do not are working towards it. This equips staff with the level of knowledge and skills they need for the role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, the manager responds well when addressing staff practice. However, on one occasion, the manager did not complete a thorough internal investigation following an incident whereby a child’s risk assessment was not followed. This had the potential to expose the child to harm and means that, on this occasion, appropriate safeguards where not put in place to keep the child safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person’s external monitoring of the home does not always provide a detailed and thorough assessment of the quality of care provided. The absence of feedback from professionals hi nders the regulator as well as the manager in monitoring the service. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624457 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 registered person must use reasonable endeavours to ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (4) (5)) 1 August 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon.(‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11) Inspection report for children’s home: 2624457 7  The registered person should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 2624457 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Monarch Intervention Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Glades Festival Way, Festival way, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire ST1 5SQ

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Inspector

Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2624457 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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