Children's home run by Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company

Inspection report for children's home: 1273485 1 Registered provider: Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is a short-break service for seven children who may have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has extensive experience and knowledge.

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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: 7 September 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report for children's home: 1273485 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/09/2021 Full Good 27/01/2020 Full Good 14/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1273485 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress as a direct result of the short breaks they have at this home. Staff support children coming into the home to feel welcome and comfortable. The manager ensures that the matching of new children into the home is done effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Many staff have extensive experience and have worked at the home for several years. As a result, staff know children’s areas of strength and need. They treat children with respect and dignity, and give them individualised care which meets all their daily needs. Staff are nurturing and patient, and have developed positive relationships with children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a range of activities that enhance their social experiences and offer them new opportunities. Staff make sure that children’s experiences are full of fun. These include activities in the home, such as arts and crafts, going out into the community to the cinema and day trips. Recently, a group of children attended the Commonwealth Games.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Many children using the service have significant communication difficulties. The staff use a variety of methods to maximise the opportunities for children to express choices and share their views. This creates a child-focused and inclusive culture where the needs and experiences of children shape and influence the care that they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to maintain positive relationships with family members in preparation for each child’s visit to the home. This good communication supports stability for children, ensuring that, where possible, established routines can continue.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents spoke highly of the service and gave many examples to the inspector of how the support provided to them and their children had made a positive impact on their families. One parent shared how the short breaks had really supported positive progress for their son. They described the service as ‘a lifeline’ to the family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well equipped and maintained. There are a wide range of games, toys and activities on offer at the home. These include an outdoor play area and a sensory room. This provides a fun and interactive experience for children to enjoy. The children’s bedrooms are clean and well maintained. Inspection report for children's home: 1273485 4

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

The registered manager and staff promote the safety and well-being of children. Staff know the children well, and this helps to keep them safe from harm. Staff identify risks to children and follow safeguarding procedures effectively. Incidents of concern are clearly recorded, and managers take effective action.

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

Staff focus on promoting positive behaviour. They communicate with each child in a way that matches their understanding and ability. Physical interventions are only used as a last resort, and records are thoroughly completed in line with the organisation’s policy and procedure.

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

Children do not go missing from the home. Staff recognise that the children are extremely vulnerable and require high levels of supervision to stay safe in the home and the wider community.

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

The registered manager has effective systems in place to monitor safeguarding practice and to ensure that the physical environment is safe and secure. Staff have a good knowledge of fire safety and ensure that fire drills take place on a regular basis. When children struggle to understand the importance of fire drills, staff are responsive to individual needs. Staff are creative in supporting children through key work and developing personal evacuation plans. This increases the safety of children.

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

When children are prescribed medication, there are effective systems in place to ensure that the administering of this is safe for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has vast experience in residential childcare and uses her extensive knowledge to oversee children’s day-to-day care. She has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas of development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works hard to retain staff. A qualified and experienced staff team supports the manager. Staff receive regular supervision which considers children’s progress as well as staff well-being. Managers provide debriefs for staff after challenging incidents. Regular team meetings provide a forum for staff and managers to consider how practice can be improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a comprehensive training programme. This supports staff to continuously develop their skills and knowledge. There is a system in place to check when staff training expires. However, the monitoring and review of training have not effectively ensured that all staff members are up to date with their training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social workers have very positive views about staff. One social worker said, ‘[Name of foster carer] supports children’s progress well. Staff are proactive in implementing plans to support children to learn new skills and promote independence.’ Inspection report for children's home: 1273485 5 Safe recruitment processes are followed when new staff are recruited. This provides assurance that staff are suitably vetted prior to them caring for the children. Some staff members have been employed solely at the home for a period of more than 20 years. The inspector found that for two long-standing members of staff, recruitment records did not sufficiently evidence that the manager had assured herself that their recruitment was suitable through an assessment of risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager works closely with the independent visitor to address any identified shortfalls to improve the quality of care for children. Inspection report for children's home: 1273485 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that all staff are adequately trained. 16 September

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Recommendation

 The registered person should be responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations’, including the quality standards, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 1273485 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Third Floor Zone 16, 1 Lancaster Circus, Birmingham B4 7DJ

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Inspector

Lisa Walsh, Her Majesty’s Inspector Social Care Inspection report for children's home: 1273485 8 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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