Children's home run by Stepping Stones Care (Midlands) Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2652546 1 Registered provider: Stepping Stones Care (Midlands) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The privately owned home is registered to provide care for up to four children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left and a new manager was appointed without delay. She is in the process of applying to be registered with Ofsted. This is the home’s first inspection since it was registered.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2652546 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children are currently living at the home. They told the inspector that they feel happy and settled. They attribute this to the warm welcome they received from staff when they first moved into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child moved from the home after a short period of time. Staff and managers have reflected on the impact this had on the child and have taken a lot of learning from it. They now meticulously plan children’s transitions into and out of the home. Children are involved in their care plans, which has reduced their anxieties about their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff, managers and the children are from diverse backgrounds in terms of age, sexuality, race, religion and culture. Staff and children promote these differences and encourage each other to learn about, embrace and value them. Together with staff, children have celebrated Easter and Pride month. Staff ensure that children have appropriate toiletries to meet their cultural needs. Children live in harmony at the home and respect each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children told the inspector that they feel well cared for by staff. One child said that staff supported them to access education when they had struggled to do so for a number of years. He managed to sit his exams and achieve some qualifications, and is progressing to college. Staff have supported him to build and maintain positive family relationships and his care plan now is for reunification with his family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to be involved in activities in the home and the community. The children have enjoyed day trips to London and to theme parks and cinema visits. The children are involved in charitable events such as donating food to the local branch of the Dogs Trust. Children are given opportunities to socialise and build social networks, which have significantly improved one of the children’s self-esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are enabled to express their wishes and feelings in different forums such as children’s meetings and individual conversations with staff. The children are involved in making decisions about their lives. Children feel that their voices matter and they are listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is beautifully presented and provides a warm and cosy environment for the children where they can relax and unwind. Furthermore, children have been given the opportunity to personalise their bedrooms and have taken pride in doing so. Inspection report for children's home: 2652546 3

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

Staff and the manager know the children very well and have positive relationships with them. The children told the inspector that they are able to speak with staff and ask for support whenever they face difficult or unsafe situations.

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

Staff follow children’s missing-from-care protocols. They alert relevant agencies such as police and social workers promptly, conduct local searches and ensure that children have return home interviews. They exercise professional curiosity. When children return home from being missing, they welcome them home, tell them that they are glad that they are safe and talk to them about what happened while they were away, to see if they need help with anything to prevent them from go missing from home in the future. This practice helps to keep children safe.

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

Staff model positive behaviour to the children. When children display risky behaviours such as self-injuring or verbal or physical aggression, staff take time to speak with the children to understand how they can best support them. Children are learning to self-regulate their emotions better. As a result, one child’s incidents of self-injury have reduced. Staff de-escalate situations effectively and they have not needed to use physical intervention to manage the children’s behaviours and keep the children and other people safe.

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

The manager recently reviewed the safer area report, and consulted partner agencies, staff and the children. The report includes up-to-date information about risks in the local area, which enables staff and the children to access the community safely.

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

Safer recruitment processes are thorough and help to ensure that safe adults support and care for the children.

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

When children raise complaints, the manager deals with them sensitively and diligently. The manager communicates effectively with the children by acknowledging receipt of the complaint, outlining the action they will be taking and checking if the children are happy with the outcome. Children are confident to raise concerns, knowing they will be listened to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has recently been appointed to the post. She is very experienced and has a wealth of knowledge. She is child-focused and works with staff and partner agencies to provide children with individualised care which meets their complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring and reviewing systems are effective, as she is fully aware of the strengths of the home and areas for development. She promptly addresses any shortfalls identified in the home. This helps to maintain good standards of care for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2652546 4 When the actions of partner agencies fall short of what is expected, the manager exercises professional challenge to ensure that professionals fulfil their obligations to children. This collaborative and confident approach helps children to make progress in all aspects of their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff have received relevant training, which enables them to meet the children’s diverse needs. Regular team meetings encourage consistency in practice and supportive relationships, which benefit children. Staff receive regular good-quality reflective supervision, which supports them in undertaking their roles effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager, staff and the children have created a beautiful home that is full of laughter and happiness which has supported the children to develop, have positive experiences and make good progress. Inspection report for children's home: 2652546 5

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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: 2652546 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stepping Stones Care (Midlands) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Camomile House, 6 Embassy Drive, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 1TP

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Inspector

Rumbi Mangoma, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2652546 7 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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