Children's Home run by Support and Sustain Care Ltd in Wolverhampton

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2603750 1 Registered provider: Support And Sustain Care 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 is owned by a private company and is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been at the home since it was registered in July 2021. She is working towards a level 5 diploma in Children and young people.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 14 and 15 June 2022. As a result of the inspection, Ofsted issued a compliance notice under regulation 12 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to review the progress made against the compliance notice raised at the full inspection. Although improvements have been made, some aspects of the compliance notice have still to be achieved. A compliance notice has been issued under regulation 12.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager ensures that the house and garden are free from potential hazards. The registered manager has implemented weekly audits and reports any issues to the home’s maintenance team. This ensures that any repairs are carried out in a timely manner.

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This monitoring visit

Fire arrangements in the home have been fully assessed by the fire service, which is satisfied that the home has the appropriate fire safety precautions. Flammable materials are now stored correctly and fire doors now close. This ensures that the physical home environment is risk free and the potential risk of harm to the child’s health and welfare has been reduced. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2603750 2 Managers have failed to ensure that risk assessments contain all known information about the child’s risks. For example, one child is subject to a deprivation of liberty order, which has specific requirements in place to keep the child safe. However, not all requirements are detailed in the risk assessment, despite the child living in the home for over eight months. This means that strategies in place to manage risks to the child are not available to staff, which could leave the child at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Safeguarding procedures are not in place to ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to understand their role in protecting children. The registered manager has failed to provide staff with clear guidance and training about reporting, recording and responding to safeguarding concerns. This training is necessary to ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements raised at the full inspection that were not subject to a compliance notice were not considered as part of this inspection and have been restated. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2603750 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/06/2022 Full Inadequate 23/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2603750 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 6 (2)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff having an in-depth understanding of the home’s model of care and using it in their practice to support children to make good progress. 30 September 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 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 30 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2603750 5 understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that all staff undertake safeguarding, allegation and whistle-blowing training, and that risk assessments are reviewed.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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;

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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

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;

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that systems of monitoring and review are effective in highlighting shortfalls in the delivery of care. 30 September 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1)) 30 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2603750 6 A person may only manage a children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

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 the children; and

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Requirement Due date

the person is physically and mentally fir to manage the home; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England). (Regulation 28 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(c) (2)(c)(i)) 30 September 2022

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

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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. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that full employment gaps are explored and that references are sought and verified. 30 September 2022

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. 30 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2603750 7 The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(b))

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(c) (5)) 30 September 2022

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that electronic records are held at the home in accordance with data protection principles. IT systems should ensure the safe storage of these records. This relates to staff accessing the electronic records system on personal mobile phones. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)  The registered person should ensure that records of restraint are kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. This relates to ensuring child and staff debriefs take place and are recorded within time scales. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph

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Recommendations

9.59) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2603750 8

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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: 2603750 9

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Inspector

Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2603750 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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