Children's Home run by Excel Residential Care Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2631698 1 Registered provider: Excel Residential Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for three children who have had adverse childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a new manager in post, who took up position in May 2022. Ofsted is currently processing her application for registration.

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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 inadequate

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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: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2631698 2

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improvement to be good

This is the first inspection since the home was registered in November 2021. At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children do not live in a well-maintained home. For example, children’s bathrooms are dirty, one bathroom needs repairs to a door frame, another bathroom had paint peeling off the wall, and one child’s bedroom had a skirting board coming away from the wall. Furthermore, there were broken plant pots in the garden, and toys and step ladders had not been put away after use. This does not promote a safe, homely and welcoming environment for children to live in.

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improvement to be good

Children receive medication that is important for their health. However, the manager has not identified medication going missing, and audits are not taking place. These shortfalls could have serious implications for children’s health.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that children have clear health plans and are registered with the relevant primary healthcare services. The staff team understands the importance of good health, and supports children to attend both physical and psychological health appointments.

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improvement to be good

Children attend educational settings according to their needs and abilities. Staff work in partnership with education departments and other relevant professionals to make sure that children have every opportunity to increase their academic ability and reach their full potential.

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improvement to be good

Children’s time with their families is actively supported and promoted by staff. Staff are effective at improving and sustaining relationships between children and members of their family, even when there are challenges with this. This means that children experience greater opportunities to sustain important relationships and attachments with those who are significant to them.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment processes are not followed. Staff are working in the home without full and verified employment checks and references. This practice places children at risk of harm as the provider cannot be assured that staff are safe and suitable to work with vulnerable children.

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improvement to be good

Fire safety arrangements are not effective. For example, not all fire doors fully close, some intumescent fire strips had been painted over, a fire extinguisher had been removed from its location, in one room coats and bags were hung on the door, preventing it from closing, and there were doors that had new locks fitted that had Inspection report children’s home: 2631698 3 left holes in them. Although the provider is taking steps to rectify these issues, it is of concern that the home’s checks had not identified the shortfalls in ways in which staff and children are protected in the case of fire.

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding of each child’s individual vulnerabilities. Staff complete safeguarding training as part of their induction to the home, and they demonstrate that they are familiar with the procedure for reporting and managing safeguarding concerns.

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improvement to be good

Individualised risk management plans are in place for each child. These plans help the staff to safeguard children by identifying their risks and vulnerabilities and setting out strategies to minimise risks. The review and development of the plans are ongoing as risks change, to ensure that the plans remain effective.

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improvement to be good

Staff know how to implement and follow the local authorities’ joint protocol and procedures for reporting children who are missing from care. Staff take appropriate action to locate children quickly, and promote their safe return by keeping in touch with the children and liaising closely with the police and other agencies. There is a process in place for children to be seen by an independent person on their return. This gives assurance that any issues within the home that have led to the missing episode will be identified and acted on.

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improvement to be good

Positive behaviour is promoted in the home. Individual behaviour management plans identify triggers for negative behaviour and the strategies for managing these behaviours. Methods such as incentive reward systems and regular key-worker sessions enable children to manage their own behaviour more effectively. The use of restraint is reducing over time. This reflects the home’s commitment to supporting children to manage their own behaviour to good effect.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager does not have effective monitoring systems in place that allow her to have effective oversight of the home. For example, children are consulted with weekly through regular house meetings. The manager has no oversight of these meetings to gauge their effectiveness or to ensure that any actions raised by children are acted on. This does not promote children’s views.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have all completed mandatory training, and this is updated through refresher training. However, the training rota initially shown to inspectors was not accurate, and the manager had to check individual training logs along with a different system to evidence this. This lack of organisation does not support the manager in reviewing staff training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager submitted to Ofsted the home’s six-month review of the quality of care provided by the home. This report lacked evaluation and analysis and, therefore, failed to report an accurate account on the quality of care provided and the way the home is managed. Inspection report children’s home: 2631698 4 The manager has not sent a copy of the statement of purpose to Ofsted since the home opened in November 2021. This does not provide Ofsted with a current view of the home’s operation and arrangements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are positive about the support they receive from the manager. They have regular supervision with the home’s manager, which includes the opportunity to discuss children’s progress, the quality of team working, and their training and professional development. Furthermore, staff benefit from monthly reflective practice meetings with the organisation’s therapist. This enables staff to reflect on their practice and recognise their own strengths and weaknesses.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has established good working relationships with external professionals, including the police, education professionals, and placing social workers. This partnership approach means that children are benefitting from the full range of support provided by other professionals. Inspection report children’s home: 2631698 5

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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 the 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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates the home environment being maintained to a suitable standard. 24 October 2022

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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

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)) 24 October 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2631698 6 This specifically relates to oversight of training records, children’s meetings and oversight of medication administration.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (30) and any regulations made under it are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the fire doors in the home. 24 October 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; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the 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)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to checking gaps in staff’s work history and using professional curiosity with references. 24 October 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in the regulation at least once every six months; also see regulation 13(2)(h) (the leadership and management standard). The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there, and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. Reviews should be underpinned by the quality standards as described in regulations 5 to 14. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2) Inspection report children’s home: 2631698 7

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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 children’s home: 2631698 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Excel Residential Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5 Rockside, Mow Cop, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 4PG

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Inspectors

Dave Carrigan, Social Care Inspector Sonia Sullivan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2631698 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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