Children's Home run by Albrighton Care Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC471581 1 SC471581 Registered provider: Albrighton Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for two children who have learning disabilities and complex needs. The home is privately owned.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2020. The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC471581 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/06/2021 Full Good 10/10/2018 Full Good 16/10/2017 Full Good 27/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC471581 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The two children currently living in the home have only lived there for a few weeks. Another child who had lived at the home for over two years has successfully moved out of the home. These moves in and out of the home were well considered and appropriately planned. This has ensured that moves have happened at the right pace for each child.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s day-to-day experiences of living in the home are good. Children’s needs are understood and met by the staff in the home. Children have good relationships with staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are aware of the children’s communication needs and encourage children to develop their communication through signing, words and objects of reference. Documents such as children’s guides are provided to the children, supported by symbols to assist their understanding.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and has the facilities to meet the needs of the children and provide a homely and comfortable environment. The children have a range of toys and sensory equipment for their enjoyment and sensory needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff at the home to spend time with their families. Staff have built good relationships with parents and provide them with regular updates and photos. One parent gave the inspector very positive feedback about the staff team and registered manager.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are understood. However, in some instances, support from specialist services has not yet been put in place. For example, a child’s visual impairment and mobility needs have not been fully assessed or considered. Although staff have tried to put in place measures to support the child, this has not been informed by input from relevant others, such as an occupational therapist. As a result, care planning is not well considered. For example, the child is currently using a wheelchair despite there being no assessment that he requires this.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is attending school on a full-time basis. Another child is currently without a school placement and is not yet accessing any education. The registered manager is working with relevant others to identify suitable education for this child.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s files do not contain core documents needed for children’s care planning. Therefore, the home is not involving placing authorities and other agencies adequately to ensure children’s needs are fully understood and planned for. Inspection report for children's home: SC471581 4 Staff support children to develop their independence. However, children do not have specific targets to work towards. This has reduced the registered manager’s ability to measure the children’s progress.

p.3

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

Risk assessments identify children’s vulnerabilities and the actions staff must take to protect children. Staff have a good understanding of the risk assessments. The registered manager ensures that there are always enough staff to supervise and care for children. This keeps children safe and makes sure their needs are met.

p.4

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

Staff have good knowledge of safeguarding and know what action to take to keep children safe. There is a culture of open discussion around safeguarding and staff have had relevant training. Safeguarding is discussed frequently in supervisions and team meetings.

p.4

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

Staff are effective at managing children’s behaviour and, as a result, children’s behaviour rarely escalates. Staff sometimes guide children from one area of the home to another to distract children or diffuse a situation. This approach works and reflects staff’s good understanding of children’s individual needs and behaviours. However, care plans do not make clear when this behaviour management approach becomes a form of physical intervention. This means that in a small number of instances, the recording and review of physical interventions are not consistent.

p.4

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

Children have not gone missing from this home. However, there are protocols in place to ensure that prompt action would be taken if a child was to go missing.

p.4

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

There are systems in place for monitoring and managing health and safety in the home, and these are used consistently. This ensures a safe environment for children. Processes for administration of medication are understood and followed by staff. As a result, children receive medication as prescribed and are healthy.

p.4

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

The registered manager ensures that staff who are recruited to work in the home are subject to all the necessary checks. This ensures that staff are suitable to work with children.

p.4

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

On one occasion, Ofsted were not informed about an allegation made against a person working at the home. The manager recognises that this information should have been shared with Ofsted. The allegation was thoroughly investigated and managed appropriately.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is child-focused and speaks about the children who live in the home with warmth and enthusiasm. The registered manager knows the children well and is keen for them to meet their potential. Inspection report for children's home: SC471581 5 The home has undergone a period of change, with two new children moving into the home. This has occurred at a time when a team of staff from another home has been integrated into this home. This period of change has been well managed by the registered manager.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the skills of the staff team and takes action to share learning and development across the whole team. Staff say that they are well supported by the registered manager.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with formal supervision on a regular basis. This provides an opportunity for reflection and supports staff development. There is a clear induction process in place. New staff receive more frequent supervision. As a result, new starters are well supported and well equipped to meet children’s needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a well-organised training programme in place. The training programme is modified to include specialist training in line with children’s needs. For example, staff now attend sensory processing training. Training provides staff with the necessary skills and knowledge to provide safe care to children. Inspection report for children's home: SC471581 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

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)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children having specific targets in place and systems to measure progress. 16 December

p.6

Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

p.6

Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs. (Regulation 5(a)(b)) 16 December Inspection report for children's home: SC471581 7

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that, where a child has an education and healthcare plan in which a specific type of restraint is provided for use as part of the child’s day-to-day routine, the home is exempted from the recording requirement in regulation 35(4). Where these plans provide for a specific type of restraint that is not for day-to-day use, on the occasions when such restraint is used, it must still be recorded in accordance with regulation 35(3). Any other restraint used must always be recorded as a restraint. In any case, where a restraint is used, it must comply with the requirements of regulation 20. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 50 paragraph 9.61’)

p.7

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: SC471581 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Albrighton Care Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 4, Bermar House, Rumer Hill Business Estate, Rumer Hill Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0ET

p.8

Inspector

Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC471581 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9