Children's Home run by Friends & Co Limited in Wolverhampton

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258887 1 Friends & Co Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to four children with learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered in January 2018. Children have never lived in this home.

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Information about this children’s home

A manager has been recruited, who has applied to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

In May 2018, a condition was imposed that requires the provider to inform Ofsted of their intention to admit children or young people three months before a child or young person will commence living at the home. This was due to there being no registered manager and no staff team. The provider has notified Ofsted that they want to remove this condition of registration as they intend to move a child into the home.

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This monitoring visit

This visit has been carried out to assess whether the home is ready for children to move in. The outcome of this visit is that children cannot safely move into this home.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has not recruited a staff team. This means that a sufficient number of staff are not employed to safely care for children.

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This monitoring visit

There is a clear training plan. This includes training staff will need to ensure that they have the necessary skills to care for children. However, there are currently no staff recruited so it is not possible for Ofsted to assess staff’s skills.

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This monitoring visit

The planned staffing structure, on-call procedures and shift patterns are not clear. This results in there being an inconsistent approach to the management of staffing. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258887 2 The responsible individual has now recruited an experienced manager, who has been in post for two months. The manager has applied to register with Ofsted and their application is currently in progress. The manager has not yet completed an induction or any training. The manager and responsible individual have not received safeguarding training to equip them with the necessary skills to fulfil their roles.

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This monitoring visit

The home environment has some areas which are not well maintained or currently suitable should a child move in immediately. For example, all of the children’s bedroom windows have been fitted with frosted film which prevents children from seeing out of the windows. There is institutional signage around the home. Several bathrooms also have damage. This makes the home feel unwelcoming.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has not ensured that the home meets health and safety requirements. For example, there have not been regular fire drills, and a competent individual has not carried out fire safety checks since 2017. There are also issues around water safety in the home. This makes it currently unsafe for a child to reside here.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has not ensured that he meets the requirements under regulations 44 and 45 to assist in carrying out quality assurance functions in the home. He has not evaluated the service by carrying out a six-monthly review since November 2019. The independent person has not attended the home and provided their report for Ofsted to review since December 2020. The responsible individual has recently appointed an independent person; however, they have not been recruited in line with safer recruitment guidelines.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has not consulted with relevant people to include important information about the area to help inform safety planning in their review of the premises. The statement of purpose is missing information about staff qualifications and does not currently explain the home’s approach to restraint practices, as per Schedule 1 requirements.

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This monitoring visit

The condition of registration requiring the provider to notify Ofsted of their intention to move a child into the home three months in advance has been complied with. However, due to Ofsted finding that it is not safe for children to move into the home, a suspension notice has been issued. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258887 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/12/2018 Interim Not judged 29/10/2018 Interim Not judged Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258887 4

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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 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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that the safety of the environment is properly assessed by a competent individual and that any hazards are properly risk assessed. The water in the home must also be properly assessed to ensure that it comes out from the correct taps at a safe temperature. 3 March 2023

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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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that: there are sufficient staff to meet the needs of the children that the home is registered to care for; and any staff 3 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258887 5 employed by the service have the skills and training needed to meet children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that the statement of purpose includes: details of the staffing structure in the home; the service’s approach to restraint; and how staff’s competency will be assessed and reviewed. 3 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that children can see out of and open their windows. They must also ensure that any CCTV, surveillance or bedroom door alarms are only used if absolutely necessary to ensure that a child is safe, and that this practice is reviewed. 3 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b)) 3 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258887 6 This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that a competent individual carries out a fire risk assessment on an annual basis. Regular fire drills must take place and be recorded.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may permit an individual to start work at the home despite the fact that the requirement in paragraph (3)(d) has not been met if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person has taken all reasonable steps to obtain full information about each of the matters in Schedule 2 in respect of the individual, but the enquiries in relation to any of the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2 are incomplete;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information in respect of the individual has been obtained in relation to the matters in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 2;

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the circumstances are exceptional; and

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Requirement Due date

the registered person ensures that the individual is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties, pending receipt of any outstanding information on the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2, which is then considered satisfactory by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at the home and who does not fall within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties. (Regulation 32 (7)(a)(b)(c)(d) (8))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that safer recruitment checks are carried out for all staff working at the home, including the independent visitor. 3 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as 3 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258887 7 the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”). 3 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258887 8 The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 3 March 2023

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258887 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Friends & Co Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Inspire Childcare Limited, 71 to 75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ

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Inspector

Fiona Roche, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258887 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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