Children's Home run by CareTech Community Services Limited in Dudley

Inspection report for children’s home: SC483662 1 SC483662 Registered provider: CareTech Community Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to six children with learning disabilities. It is a permanent home for up to five children and offers a short-breaks service for one child at any one time. The service is privately owned and forms part of a larger social care organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2020. She is currently undertaking the level 5 management qualification.

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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 December 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC483662 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/12/2021 Full Good 18/12/2019 Full Good 22/10/2019 Full Inadequate 10/12/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC483662 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home and one child was receiving their short break on each day of the inspection. Children receive individualised, good-quality care and support, which enhances their well-being and experiences. Staff build excellent relationships with children. Staff were observed to be nurturing, patient and kind with children. They know the children well and have excellent knowledge of the children’s likes, dislikes and preferences. Staff are attuned to the children’s differing communication styles and are adept at reading children’s non- verbal communication. This ensures that children can communicate their preferences and views. Children’s body language shows that they feel comfortable and relaxed in the presence of staff. Children’s health and well-being are prioritised. Managers and staff work well with healthcare professionals to ensure that each child’s complex health needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend all routine health appointments. One child has been supported to attend the dentist, after a prolonged period of non-attendance. As a result, they are now enjoying improved oral health and they are eating better, which has improved their quality of life. Staff will also seek specialist support when required. Staff receive specific training to meet children’s individual health needs. This enhances children’s health outcomes. Two of the children attend education settings according to their needs and abilities. One child is receiving home tuition. Staff work closely with education departments and other relevant professionals to make sure that children have opportunities to increase their academic ability and reach their full potential. Children are becoming more independent. Staff help the children to develop self- care skills by using individualised prompting techniques throughout daily activities

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

and self-care routines. As a result, one child is now learning to feed themselves and brush their own teeth. This personalised support ensures that children make meaningful progress in their independence and self-care skills. Children take part in a range of activities, both in the home and out in the community. These include trips to the seaside, museums, zoos and local parks. These opportunities significantly enhance children’s experiences and enable them to socialise, have fun and develop their confidence. Staff make sure that children keep in touch with the people who are important to them. Children regularly see their families. Staff welcome children’s families into the home. This ensures that children continue to build relationships and attachments with those people who are significant to them. When children come to live at the home, matching is carefully considered. Where possible, children have a well-planned move into the home and are welcomed

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

sensitively. In addition, the manager ensures that children who receive short breaks Inspection report for children’s home: SC483662 4 are carefully matched to the children who live at the home. Managers complete compatibility assessments, which are kept under review. The environment is spacious, and most areas are well decorated. There is specialist equipment available to meet the children’s health needs and disabilities. There are pictures of children and staff around the home. Children’s bedrooms are personalised, and lounges are comfortably furnished. However, some areas of the main corridor’s decoration are looking tired, and, at the time of the inspection, the garden needed tidying. Toys had been left outside, empty plant pots were full of dirty water and a bag of soil had been left out. This doesn’t provide a welcoming environment for children. Staff did tidy the garden during the inspection.

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

Safeguarding practices in this home are effective. Children are looked after by staff who know them well. Staff use their experience and knowledge of the children and follow behaviour support plans to keep children safe. As a result, incidents involving children have reduced. Since the last inspection, there have been no allegations or complaints and incidents are very rare. There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home. Staff manage children’s behaviours well. Staff use highly effective de-escalation techniques to support children when they are feeling anxious. As a result, physical interventions have not been used at the home. Managers ensure that children and staff receive debriefs after incidents to ensure that any actions taken by staff are necessary and proportionate. Staff undertake good-quality training to help them to understand the additional risks to children with disabilities, including children’s communication support needs. Staff

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

support the children with their social interactions through high supervision levels and consistent, familiar routines. This helps children to feel safe. Children live in a well-equipped, safe environment. Staff complete regular health and safety checks. Personal evacuation plans are in place for all children. There are regular fire drills to ensure that staff and children know how to exit the building in the event of an emergency. The manager completes an annual review of the location of the home. They regularly consult with local safeguarding partners. This means that staff and children have the correct information to enable them to keep safe in the local community. Recruitment practices are safe. Staff who work in the home are subject to all necessary checks. This ensures that only suitable people work in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced manager. She has high aspirations for children and staff alike. The manager is an excellent role model for staff. She is supported by an equally conscientious and ambitious deputy manager. Together, Inspection report for children’s home: SC483662 5 they have created a positive team culture that maintains a persistent drive to improving children’s outcomes. Managers use effective monitoring systems to review the quality of care children receive. These systems help managers to identify and act on shortfalls, develop the service and ensure that children consistently receive a good quality of care. There is a core, stable staff team in place. This ensures that children receive high- quality care from staff who know them well. Leaders and managers support the staff team well. There is a robust induction plan in place to support new staff working at the home. Staff receive regular practice-

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

related supervision and annual appraisals. Team meetings are regular and support staff to know how best to work together to meet the needs of the children. This makes the staff feel valued and supports their development. It also ensures that children receive consistent, high-quality care from staff. Staff said that they feel well supported. The manager ensures that staff have access to a wide range of specialist training to meet the children’s identified needs. Staff have a variety of skills, experience and qualifications. This ensures that all staff have the skills necessary to work with the children. However, while managers and staff have worked towards ensuring that staff have completed the qualification required for their role within the timescale set out in regulation, for one staff member this remains outstanding. This was raised as a requirement at the last inspection and is therefore repeated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers work with a wide range of professionals to support the children to achieve the best outcomes. Parents and professionals recognise children’s progress and the positive difference that staff’s support is making to their children’s lives. One social worker said that the home ‘is the best residential placement. Staff are nurturing and caring.’ Managers are confident in challenging those who are not meeting children’s needs effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483662 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 23 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC483662 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing environment that meets the needs of the children. In particular, ensure that the garden is kept tidy and all communal areas of the home are maintained to a good standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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 for children’s home: SC483662 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: CareTech Community Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: CareTech Community Services Limited, 5th Floor Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Sonia Sullivan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC483662 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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