Children's home run by A&M Care Solutions Limited - T/A Metropolitan Care Solutions

Inspection report for children’s home: 2635562 1 Registered provider: A&M Care Solutions Limited - T/a Metropolitan Care Solutions Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Currently, there is one child living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There are two registered managers at this home. One manager has been registered since March 2021. A second manager has been registered to cover a period of extended leave.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 30 November 2021

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2635562 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2635562 3

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outstanding

There is an overwhelming warmth and family atmosphere created in this home. The home is vibrant and comfortable, and it has been looked after to a very high standard. This helps the child to invest and feel safe and secure. The child said, ‘I love it here. My home is great.’

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outstanding

The child and staff have very strong relationships that have been built on trust and belief in each other. Significantly, the child now talks to staff about their feelings and their personal safety. As a result, the child is much safer. The child is flourishing and has made remarkable progress due to the reassurance and nurture that staff provide. Professionals attribute staff tenacity as fundamental in delivering effective care and support. One professional said, ‘I can honestly say they are the best children’s home I have worked with. The progress [name of child] has made in their care is phenomenal. The care she has received is 10 out of 10 in all areas.’

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outstanding

Staff promote the child’s relationships and successfully encourage social connections. They welcome the child’s family into the home. The child spends frequent time with a significant peer despite living a considerable distance apart. With increasing self-confidence and social time, crucial friendships are forged.

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outstanding

The child leads an active and healthy lifestyle. Staff practise the therapeutic approaches agreed through multi-disciplinary working with great effect. Consequently, the child’s emotional resilience markedly improves.

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outstanding

The manager strongly advocates for the child to have the right educational placement. Staff know the child’s aspirations and life goals and put in place a purposeful in-house education programme. While professionals source and agree on more formal plans, the child has a multitude of learning opportunities. They now hold a nail technician qualification, have experienced the world of work and have developed many important life skills.

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outstanding

The child has a strong voice. The managers and staff actively seek the child’s views, and these views influence how the home is being managed. The child and staff make plans and have lots of fun through shared activities. ‘Live Life in Bloom’ books are brimming with photos and memorabilia, capturing unforgettable milestones and positive memories that can be held on to forever.

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outstanding

Staff proactively prepare the child for their next steps. The child develops crucial life skills through a comprehensive independent skills portfolio. Staff are very proud of the child’s progress and achievements. They write letters to the child expressing this and celebrating every success. This increases the child’s confidence and self-esteem. Inspection report for children’s home: 2635562 4 Meticulous planning, involving the child, is progressing their move to live in independent accommodation. Staff provide resource packs that they can use as future points of reference. To promote the child’s future success, there are agreements for staff to continue a level of support after the child has moved. This reassures the child, who is happy with the plan.

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

Staff apply clinically informed support strategies to keep the child safe. Presenting risks for the child are reduced, and this reduction in risk is maintained. The child no longer goes missing, and there are no current concerns with exploitation. Restrictions to the child’s liberty via a legal order have lessened in line with the child’s progress.

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

Staff help the child to develop functional coping strategies. Incidents of self-harm have stopped. The intensity and frequency of incidents of violence and aggression have considerably lessened. When needed, effective and proportionate physical interventions are used to keep everyone safe. Following any concerning incidents, the staff place a great deal of emphasis on repair and restoration and carry out individual work with the child. They write letters to the child about how they feel, which resonate with the child. This helps the child develop their ability to empathise with others.

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

Regular chats with staff educate the child about risk and personal safety. Topics are pertinent and relatable. The child takes on age-appropriate responsibilities that include looking after medication and using the internet with the oversight of staff.

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

Senior managers and professionals from the placing local authority agree on individualised safeguarding procedures to keep the child safe. Together, they ensure a joint, prompt review of allegations made against staff. The advice of the local authority designated officer is sought when required. Discussions with the child take place. However, there is no record of the outcomes being agreed. Delays in sharing information mean the regulator has not been able to assess these safeguarding responses in a timely way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team is highly effective. The current manager has effortlessly transitioned into the role of manager. Leaders have ensured that professional development and succession planning for managers are very strong. This ensures that the child benefits from stable management. The manager is inspirational, upholds this responsibility and maintains high standards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff are committed and resilient, and they are the foundation of this home. A consistent workforce has been established and sustained over time. The manager has developed a reflective team that has become cohesive and able to provide excellent care and support to the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2635562 5 The complexities and challenges that staff face in delivering day-to-day care are well understood by the manager. The manager ensures that the support to staff extends beyond the provision of individual supervision. Extra monthly one-to-one meetings with a commissioned therapist enhance their opportunities for reflection and evaluation of their practice. This specialist advice promotes the well-being of staff and clinically informs their care practice. Staff feel valued and have an uplifting team morale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Great importance is placed on staff having the skills and knowledge to deliver a bespoke package of care to the child. An external consultant is influential in embedding therapeutic approaches into care practice. This, together with mandatory training, means that staff learning and development meet the child’s individual needs. The manager takes regular opportunities to test staff’s knowledge and understanding. Furthermore, the manager proactively equips staff to manage changing circumstances in the home. They use their own learning and research to facilitate this. Staff welcome the extra courses and practical sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A wide range of quality assurance mechanisms provide the manager with holistic service oversight. The manager’s prompt response to any areas requiring improvement ensures that high standards of care are maintained. The manager values the monthly external monitoring that the independent person provides. The regulator cannot oversee the quality and effectiveness of the independent person’s rigorous and impartial assessment as reports are not consistently shared.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager places a high level of importance on creating an evolving service to fully promote best outcomes for the child. They set targets for service development in detailed and comprehensive plans. They creatively extend this to an interactive improvement plan that the whole team contributes to. The manager’s extensive child-specific progress report demonstrates how these actions and interventions have great success.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A large multi-agency network plans for the child’s care. In this, the manager is influential and highly respected. The manager shares top-quality documents and contributes to regular group meetings with great effect. All professionals feel well informed and hold working alongside the home in very high regard. Inspection report for children’s home: 2635562 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 registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when a child makes an allegation against a member of staff, they record the child’s views on the outcome. 24 March 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that they notify the regulator of all required matters without delay. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 66, paragraph 14.10)  The registered person should ensure that the independent person provides a copy of the independent person’s report to the regulator before the end of the month that follows the month in which the visit took place. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: 2635562 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: A&M Care Solutions Limited - T/a Metropolitan Care Solutions

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 16 Regent Street, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG1 5BQ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Katherine Adkins

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Children’s home details

Registered managers: Leanne Severin Sophie Lawrence

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Inspector

Alexandra Howitt, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2635562 8 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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