Children's Home run by Forte Care Ltd in Birmingham

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2618553 1 Registered provider: Forte Care Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for one child who has experienced childhood trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently no registered manager. The previous manager withdrew their application to register with Ofsted in June 2022. A new manager has been appointed and is due to start employment in July 2022.

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Inspection dates: 29 and 30 June 2022

Date of last inspection: 8 February 2022

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Inspection dates: 29 and 30 June 2022

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection dates: 29 and 30 June 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2618553 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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The care of children

Since the last visit to the home, one child has moved out and, at the time of this inspection, no children were living at the home.

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The care of children

The child enjoyed trusting relationships with key staff. The child was provided with opportunities to discuss any concerns they may have had with staff through direct work and one-to-one conversations. Positive relationships between staff and children help promote their welfare.

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The care of children

The child made good progress with his educational attainment. He had experienced a substantial period of time out of education before living at the home. The child was making good progress and had attendance of over 90%. This shows that the child was being supported with his education and learning.

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The care of children

The child was supported to attend required health appointments. Improvements have been made by staff and managers to ensure that staff are proactive in scheduling appointments, such as dental appointments, when required. This means that the child received the help that he needed to meet his health needs.

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The care of children

Staff helped the child to keep in touch with his family. The child was supported to maintain contact with his parent and enjoyed weekly overnight stays. The child left the home shortly after the full inspection and returned to live with his family. The child and staff team enjoyed a leaving meal to celebrate their times together.

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The safety of children

The day-to-day care was not always arranged and delivered to safeguard the child. For example, there were concerns that the child was supplying cannabis and potentially being exploited. Staff were not immediately proactive in recognising the potential signs of this and managing risk effectively to protect the child. However, through their monitoring, leaders did then recognise the signs of potential exploitation and took effective action to safeguard the child. Referrals to external agencies were made and the child was provided with additional support to help them understand about keeping safe.

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The safety of children

Staff understand how to manage children’s behaviour effectively. They successfully de-escalate any challenging behaviours. Staff praise children to recognise their socially acceptable behaviour. During the review of incidents, managers highlight if they have been managed effectively, and document and recognise if further learning is needed. As a result, positive relationships develop. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2618553 3 Managers ensure that the home is free from hazards. Routine health and safety monitoring keeps the home maintained to a good standard. This helps to keep people in the home safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The home does not have a registered manager. A new manager has been appointed and is due to start at the end of July, subject to safer recruitment checks being completed. Before the child moved out of the home, the responsible individual based herself at the home to provide consistent leadership and day-to-day management of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The 10 requirements made at the last inspection have been met. As a result, managers now ensure that staff are safely recruited and local authority social workers are challenged when managers believe that children’s needs are not being met effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Managers have ensured that poor practice is acted on effectively. For example, when managers identified that staff lacked professional curiosity to keep the child safe, investigations were swift, and concerns were acted on. All staff have revisited all mandatory training to ensure that they have the skills and knowledge to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Managers’ oversight shows that they are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Managers ensure that debriefs are completed following incidents, providing the opportunity to discuss what has happened and what can be learned. As a result, managers have good insight into the home’s strengths and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The responsible individual makes sure that monitoring systems are in place. These systems enable managers to identify shortfalls and areas for development in a timely fashion. This includes ensuring that children’s case files are up-to-date and relevant.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The provider has made improvements and now ensures that Ofsted receives reports written by the independent visitor. This means that the regulator has information to monitor the home’s progress and any issues arising. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2618553 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2618553 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 213 Station Road, Stechford, Birmingham, West Midlands B33 8BB

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Chinchen

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Inspector

Kev Brammer, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2618553 6 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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