Children's Home run by Steps 4 Life Care Limited in Walsall

Inspection report children's home: 2503605 1 Registered provider: Steps 4 Life Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to five children who may experience emotional and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2020 and is in the process of completing his level 5 qualification.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2503605 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/04/2021 Full Good 18/12/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2503605 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, there were five children living at the home. Children are generally settled in the home and have good relationships with staff. Children have personalised their bedrooms and told inspectors that they have everything they need.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to engage in activities outside of the home. Children attend a variety of activities. One child goes to police cadets and another child attends karate lessons. Staff plan regular activities to keep children occupied. As a result, children have opportunities to increase their self-esteem through positive experiences.

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improvement to be good

During the inspection, positive interactions between staff and children were observed. This was confirmed by the children. One child told the inspectors that he is happy to remain at the home until he turns 18. Another child told the inspectors that she likes living at the home and there is nothing that she would change. Feedback from professionals is positive with all commenting on the positive relationships between children and staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff carry out regular key-work sessions with children. However, the quality of these varies. Conversations are not always linked to children’s care plans or needs. In addition, children are not encouraged to read or contribute to their care plans. This is a missed opportunity to help children inform how they are cared for.

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improvement to be good

Children told the inspector that they are happy living in the home and get on well with staff. Children feel safe and well cared for. One child told the inspectors, ‘When you have the right people around you, it makes all the difference. I don’t know what would have happened to me if I had not moved here.’

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improvement to be good

The registered manager ensures that new children coming into the home are appropriately assessed and matched with existing children. As a result, children get along with one another and there is no bullying.

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improvement to be good

The support staff offer to children to develop their independence skills varies. One child has a clear plan in place and staff are having regular conversations with him to support his progress. This is not in place for another child. This approach does not help children to prepare for adult life.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has not ensured that staff document important conversations and work that they carry out with children. In addition, children’s plans do not clearly record progress. Inspection report children's home: 2503605 4

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments in place to keep children safe vary in quality. Some documents contain conflicting and inaccurate information. This means that staff are not sufficiently guided on how to keep children safe. However, staff spoken to during the inspection are aware of the risks to the children.

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improvement to be good

Staff use sanctions to help children to try and understand their negative behaviour. However, the registered manager has not ensured that he reviews the effectiveness of each sanction. As a result, children may be having inappropriate or unnecessary sanctions imposed on them.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond well when children go missing. Staff search for them and contact emergency services as needed. However, on one occasion, the return home interview did not take place within the required time frame. This means that there was a delay in exploring with the child why she placed herself at risk.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has failed to ensure that staff maintain a full record of all medication dispensed to children. Staff are not signing to record when they have dispensed medication. This includes controlled medication, which is subject to strict regulations.

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improvement to be good

Overall, staff manage children’s behaviour well and the number of incidents requiring staff intervention is low. However, on occasion, staff fail to record sufficient details when they document physical interventions. This has not been addressed in the manager’s review. As a result, it is not always clear how children have been held or why the hold was necessary.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager was unable to demonstrate on inspection that new staff are safely recruited. The verbal verification of why individuals have left previous posts working with children or vulnerable adults could not be located. This means that not all staff have been suitably vetted to work with children.

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good

The registered manager does not have a robust monitoring system in place that allows him to have effective oversight of the home. The registered manager’s oversight of recording and reporting is poor. He has failed to review key documents to ensure that they are accurate. The manager was unable to evidence some areas that he claimed to be monitoring, such as his daily monitoring of medication recording.

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good

The lack of effective processes and systems hindered this inspection. The registered manager was unable to locate information quickly and was unable to provide some information. This prevents Ofsted from reviewing key documents as part of the inspection process. For example, the registered manager was unable to provide a Inspection report children's home: 2503605 5 full and accurate record of staff supervision, including his own. As a result, inspectors were not assured that all staff have received regular supervision in line with the home’s policy.

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good

The registered manager has not consulted with professionals or children as part of his review of the quality of care. This is a missed opportunity to seek feedback that could improve the quality of care to children. In addition, the registered manager has not ensured that the independent visitor carries out a detailed review of the home each month. As a result, shortfalls identified at this inspection have not been detected previously.

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good

There is a comprehensive range of training opportunities for staff. This includes essential courses, such as first aid and fire safety. It also includes more-specialised training, such as understanding self-harm and supporting people with sexualised behaviours. However, some staff have not completed key training that would help them in their roles. This includes training in allegations and complaints, attachment disorder, creating a therapeutic environment, and autism spectrum disorder. This raises concerns regarding the staff’s ability to meet the specific needs of the children they look after.

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good

The workforce development plan not identify what training staff should complete before they work with children.

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good

Despite the shortfalls identified, the registered manager and the staff team are passionate about the children. Staff feel supported in their roles and enjoy working at the home. Regular team meetings take place and staff ensure that shift-to-shift handovers occur. In addition, a psychologist offers consultation to support staff to explore children’s presentation. As a result, staff understand the children’s needs. Inspection report children's home: 2503605 6

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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 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—

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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)(ii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that risk assessments are up to date and provide effective strategies for staff to follow.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, this relates to ensuring that staff complete direct work with children to help them understand their risks. 10 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 10 October 2022 Inspection report children's home: 2503605 7 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there are effective monitoring and review systems in place to review and improve the quality of care provided to children.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that staff have completed key training that will help them to meet the needs of the children living at the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is a robust process in place for the recording of all medication prescribed to children. 10 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,

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Requirement Due date

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

The registered person must ensure that they verbally verify the reason why staff have left previous posts working with children or vulnerable adults when completing safer recruitment checks. 10 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— 10 October 2022 Inspection report children's home: 2503605 8 receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all staff receive regular supervision. A record of this supervision must be kept.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is appropriate management oversight of sanctions. 10 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the following items, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner—

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Requirement Due date

children’s case records (see regulation 36). (Regulation 38 (i))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all relevant records relating to children are kept in an accessible manner and made available to Ofsted during inspection. 10 October 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the workforce development plan provides a clear training plan for all staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should consult with children and relevant professionals when completing the review of the quality of care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)  The registered person should ensure that the independent visitor seeks the views of children, professionals and any other relevant person as part of their monthly visit. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)  The registered person should ensure that an independent return home interview takes place within the required time frame when a child returns home after a Inspection report children's home: 2503605 9

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Recommendations

period of being missing. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should support and encourage children to view and contribute to their records in a way that reflects they views. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.9)

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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: 2503605 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Steps 4 Life Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Arbor House, Broadway North, Walsall, West Midlands WS1 2AN

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Inspectors

Debbie Holder, Social Care Inspector Mark Dickinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2503605 11 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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