Children's Home run by SOLID GLOBAL LIMITED in Birmingham

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1259178 1 Registered provider: Solid Global Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides accommodation and therapeutic care for two children who are affected by mental ill health. It is owned and operated by a small private company.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager resigned in January 2022. A new manager has been appointed and is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place following an anonymous complaint sent to Ofsted raising safeguarding concerns.

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This monitoring visit

Following the monitoring visit on 6 and 7 July 2022, a notice restricting the accommodation of new children at this home was issued on 8 July 2022. One compliance notice was also issued under regulation 13, relating to the leadership and management of the home.

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This monitoring visit

One child continues to live in the home. The provider has adhered to the notice of restriction and no children have moved into the home since the last visit.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, the previously appointed manager has stepped down. A new manager has been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual is a practising clinician. As part of his role, he is assessing and providing treatment to the child in the home. The responsible individual and the child’s local authority have not clearly agreed the responsible individual’s level of engagement with the child and the scope of his clinical involvement. This means that professionals are not working collaboratively to meet the child’s needs and care planning is ineffective. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1259178 2 The manager has started to review the staff’s safer recruitment checks. This was identified as a shortfall at the last inspection. Staff who have worked overseas still do not have good conduct certificates from the relevant countries. However, these have been requested. In addition, risk assessments and Disclosure and Barring Service checks have been completed. The manager was unable to demonstrate the

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This monitoring visit

full extent of the progress made, due to records being disorganised and systems to monitor these checks not being in place.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have undertaken training since the last inspection. All staff have completed behaviour management training. Some staff, including agency staff, have undertaken training in the home’s therapeutic model of care. The manager has not fully updated the training matrix, therefore, the monitoring of staff training and the ability to identify gaps in staff’s knowledge and skills is not yet fully developed.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments and a behaviour support plan are in place to support the staff to care for the child. However, the manager and staff are not always quick enough to respond to emerging risks. For example, on the first day of the inspection, the child was able to gain access to the medication cupboard and knew the combination code to the safe where the medication was stored. On a number of occasions, the child has taken the keys to the home from staff. Immediate strategies to prevent this from happening again were not implemented. This has the potential to impact on the child’s safety. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1259178 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/06/2021 Full Good 28/09/2018 Interim Not judged 05/06/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1259178 4

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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 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this relates to requiring the registered person to ensure that health and safety checks and annual servicing are completed, and that staff have the training and knowledge to understand and identify risks to children. 14 August 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

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; 14 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1259178 5 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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 child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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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) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff have the training identified in the statement of purpose and that leaders and managers have systems in place to monitor, review and develop the quality of care in the home.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 14 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(iii) (2)(a)(b)) 14 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if— 14 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1259178 6 the person is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children—

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Requirement Due date

the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b)(i), a person has the appropriate experience and qualification if the person has—

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Requirement Due date

within the last 5 years, worked for at least 2 years in a position relevant to the residential care of children; and

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Requirement Due date

worked for at least one year in a role requiring the supervision and management of staff working in a care role. (Regulation 28 (1)(a)(b)(i) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— 14 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1259178 7 the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff’s full employment histories are explored and that overseas checks are undertaken where relevant. Additionally, that staff complete an appropriate qualification within timescales.

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to keeping a register of children who come to live at the home. 14 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must 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

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. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that a visit is facilitated each month and a report sent to Ofsted. 14 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months. 14 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1259178 8 After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (3) (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 14 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that where a child looked after is placed in a home from a different local authority area, that the local authority in which the home is situated is notified that an out of borough child has been placed in a home in their area. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.6)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1259178 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Solid Global Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite G, Eldon House, 24 Central Square, High Street, Erdington, Birmingham, West Midlands B23 6RY

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Octovus Muchemenye

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Inspector

Lisa O’Donovan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1259178 10 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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