Children's Home run by HAVEN CARE GROUP LIMITED in Birmingham

Inspection report for children's home: 2548333 1 Registered provider: Haven Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is one of eight run by the provider. The home is registered to provide care for up to four children who have had adverse childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager has been appointed but is not yet registered 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:

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the last full inspection, on 26 and 27 April 2022. Ofsted issued 10 requirements and a notice to restrict accommodation. A notice to propose the cancellation of the home’s registration was also issued.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit was undertaken on 8 June 2022. The provider had complied with the notice of restriction of accommodation. The provider had met regulations 5, 10, 21, 26, 27 and 40. The requirements relating to regulations 11, 12, 13 and 14 were issued again, and one new requirement was raised under regulation 8. The Inspection report for children's home: 2548333 2 restriction of accommodation remained in place. Ofsted did not proceed to a notice of decision with regards to cancelling the home’s registration because of improvements made and plans for further improvement. Inspection report for children's home: 2548333 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/04/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2548333 4

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, there was only one child living in the home. During the inspection, the experiences of another child who had previously lived at the home were also considered.

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improvement to be good

The home is well presented, welcoming and maintained to a good standard. The child living in the home has helped to make changes to the living environment, including the decoration of a new sensory room. This ensures that the environment is comfortable and helps the child to feel proud of where he lives.

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improvement to be good

Staff recognise that education is important. To support education, staff have implemented a personalised timetable for the child that includes a variety of sensory and academic tasks. Furthermore, staff are working with the child’s local authority to increase their understanding of barriers to learning and to improve strategies to support the child further. This demonstrates a commitment from staff to help children progress.

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improvement to be good

The child living in the home is in good health. He is supported to attend routine appointments and staff are advocating for him to receive further assessments to identify emerging needs. This ensures that the child’s physical and emotional health are promoted.

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improvement to be good

The relationships between the child and staff are good. The child living in the home takes part in a variety of activities. These include bowling, going to theme parks, on holidays to the seaside and trips to the zoo. Following activities, staff add pictures and memorable quotes to the child’s personal scrapbooks. These activities encourage the child to have fun, build positive relationships and create special memories.

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improvement to be good

The child’s written plans do not reflect the child’s current education arrangements, or the actions staff take to ensure that health needs are met. Furthermore, managers have not obtained the child’s most up-to-date local authority documents. Although the managers have taken some action to obtain these documents, there has been no escalation to ensure that they are received. This compromises the staff’s understanding of the child’s plans and progress and has the potential to impact the child’s experiences.

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improvement to be good

The staff support and encourage the child to maintain positive relationships with their family. However, a family member told an inspector that there is a delay in her receiving information from staff about the child’s care. This does not ensure that loved ones are fully updated on the care provided and limits the opportunity for the child to receive additional support. Inspection report for children's home: 2548333 5

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improvement to be good

The staff have good knowledge and understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and needs. However, the written assessments are not updated to include changes to risks. For example, one child’s risk assessment was not updated to reflect his games console moving from the lounge to his bedroom. This leaves staff without all the necessary information they need and has the potential to increase the risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Managers have failed to ensure that complaints are fully investigated. Furthermore, on one occasion, advice given by the local safeguarding team was not considered or implemented. This demonstrates a missed opportunity to improve the standards of care and to ensure effective safeguarding.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of children going missing from the home are rare, and overall are responded to appropriately. However, the managers have not ensured that the local authority has carried out an independent return home interview so that t information from any such interview is considered. Furthermore, children are not always provided with a debrief by staff to explore feelings and prevent further occurrence. This is a missed opportunity to support the children and gain information to reduce future risks.

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improvement to be good

Managers have not ensured suitable arrangements for evacuation from the premises in the event of a fire. During the inspection, the inspector found an external back gate was key locked. This arrangement did not accord with information set out in the fire evacuation plan. Managers took immediate action to remove the lock. However, this unnecessary restriction may have compromised safety in the event of a fire.

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improvement to be good

Staff use consistent boundaries and clear routines to promote good behaviour. The child responds well to this approach and his behaviour has been settled. There have been no incidents that have required the use of physical intervention.

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improvement to be good

The staff are supporting the child to understand their risks and vulnerabilities. For example, the child recently completed internet safety training. This helps the child to develop an awareness of risk and to understand the steps staff will take to keep him safe.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment processes are thorough and staff who are recruited to work in the home are subject to all necessary checks. This helps to ensure that children receive care from safe adults.

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good

Managers have acknowledged shortfalls identified at the previous inspections and the failure to adequately oversee the operation of the home. A new manager has Inspection report for children's home: 2548333 6 been appointed and she has submitted her application to register with Ofsted. It is identified by leaders that changes to the management structure will bring further improvement. This is a recent appointment and the impact of this change is not yet known.

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good

Staff receive regular supervisions and these consider how staff are working with the children and any improvements that can be made. However, staff have not received an appraisal. This is a missed opportunity to reflect on long-term development needs.

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good

All staff have completed mandatory training. However, staff have not benefited from specific attention deficit hyperactivity disorder training. Therefore, staff may lack an understanding of how this behaviour may affect the child’s experiences. The manager has booked this training for the staff team.

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good

To improve management oversight, the responsible individual has employed a new independent visitor to report on the quality of care. The managers have also created new monitoring systems to ensure a prompt response to shortfalls in practice and to review the care offered. The effectiveness of this new practice will be considered at the next inspection.

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good

The home’s location risk assessment does not consider the manager’s known concerns about the local area. This is a missed opportunity to reduce risk and to fully review the home’s location.

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good

Managers have failed to promptly notify Ofsted about complaints made about the care provided in the home. This prevents Ofsted from having full oversight of children’s care, as a quality assurance mechanism. Inspection report for children's home: 2548333 7

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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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s placement plans are up to date and contain relevant and up to date information. Furthermore, managers should ensure that they have copies of children’s local authority plans, such as education and care plans. 15 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager always ensuring that there is an adequate means of escape from the home in the event of a fire. 15 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c)) 15 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2548333 8 This specifically relates to managers ensuring that all staff working in the home receive practice-related supervision and appraisals.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (1) (3))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that an investigation takes place when there is a complaint and that the outcome of any investigation is recorded. 15 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if —

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Requirement Due date

there is allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they notify Ofsted of complaints or concerns about any staff working in the home. 15 August 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risk on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including

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Recommendations

the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Inspection report for children's home: 2548333 9 Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should develop the home’s effective working relationships with each child’s placing authority and with other relevant persons, which may include services, individuals (including parents), agencies, organisations and establishments that work with children in the local community, eg, police, schools and health. These working relationships will also be key to success in delivering the care planning standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the review of the location includes the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: 2548333 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Haven Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Haven Care Group, Unit 6, Barberry Court, Parkway, Centrum One Hundred, Burton-on-Trent DE14 2UE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Wallace

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Inspector

Sophie Hills, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2548333 11 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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