Children's Home run by Sherlock Healthcare Services Ltd in Solihull

Inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 1 Registered provider: Sherlock Healthcare Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This service is a private children’s home offering care for up to seven children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2022, and she is suitably experienced and qualified.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child lives in the home. They have lived there for almost five months, and they are the first child to move in since the home registered. The child has made substantial progress since moving in. They have become increasingly less anxious and respond well to the consistent care and routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have built strong relationships with the child. They use different methods of communication that best support the child. As such, the child’s communication skills have significantly improved. This helps to build children’s confidence and self- esteem. As a result, incidents in the home have decreased significantly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well furnished and maintained, and it has a welcoming environment. Belongings fill the home, books and games are easily accessible and soft furnishings help to create a nurturing environment. Staff support and encourage the child to personalise their bedroom, which allows them to take a sense of pride in their home and promotes their well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the child to maintain regular contact with their family. They provide practical and emotional support to maintain and develop these relationships. This means that the child is not isolated from those who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff make every effort and dedicate an immeasurable amount of time to attain the opinions of the child. Staff listen to the child’s views and act on the choices they make. The child’s views are promoted, and they say they are ‘listened to’. Care planning is a strength of the home. Comprehensive programmes of care fully assess and plan how staff should meet the individual needs of the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff understand the importance of education. They work in partnership with schools and the placing authority to find the child a suitable provision that reflects their learning needs. They have successfully supported the child to reintegrate into education. This helps to maintain a daily routine that supports children’s academic needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child well with their health and well-being. The child’s emotional health needs are expertly addressed. Staff demonstrate an ability to seek specialist help when this is necessary, and they have undertaken research to meet the specific needs of the child they care for. There are strong links with mental health professionals and specialist nurses. This multi-team approach means that children’s needs are responded to effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff proactively support the child to undertake enjoyable activities with them. This provides the child with the opportunity to gain new experiences and have fun. For example, the child attends swimming, gymnastics and horse-riding lessons. Inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 4

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

Staff know the child well, and they have developed a positive relationship with them. They fully understand any potential risks and how to minimise these. Staff are highly skilled in diversion, distraction and de-escalation. These are effective strategies that support the child. Written risk assessments and positive behaviour plans are detailed and clear.

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

Serious incidents are gradually decreasing over time. This is because staff are using the therapeutic model and finding the strategies that work, such as humour and mindfulness, to support the child. As a result, incidents of restraint have significantly decreased. For example, in November 2022, there were eight incidents of restraint, in December there was one incident of restraint, and in January 2023 there were no incidents. When restraints have taken place, they have been a last resort and managed well. The staff work well with the child so that they understand behaviour that may present a risk to them. This work has supported children to become increasingly safe.

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

Managers and staff work in partnership to support the child with their emotional health. Incidents of self-harm have been managed well. Safety plans and risk assessments are kept up to date, and mental health nurses and children have supported the writing of these.

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

There has been one incident of children going missing from care. Staff understand what to do in these events and follow the joint protocol effectively. Searches that are conducted by staff and persistent attempts to make contact show the child that they are cared about. Proactive collaboration with parents, local authorities and the police supports children to return home safely. Missing-from-care incident records are clear, enabling thorough monitoring of these events by the manager.

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

Managers and staff place a high priority on keeping the child safe. They work in partnership with placing authorities to protect the child and promote their safety. The effectiveness of these relationships helps the child to feel safe and secure. Staff are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities, and they have a good knowledge of whistle-blowing procedures. However, on one occasion following an allegation, the manager did not notify all statutory bodies within the required timescale. The manager swiftly addressed these concerns during the inspection, and all statutory bodies were notified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably qualified and experienced manager leads the team. The manager keeps children at the heart of all she does. She is passionate and ambitious for the child and ensures that this ethos spreads through the staff team. Children know how to make a complaint, and any complaints are taken seriously. As a result, children feel listened to and valued. Inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 5 The manager has good knowledge of the child’s starting points and what they have accomplished since living at the home. She is fully involved in the child’s life, is clear about the progress the child is making and has high aspirations for what they can achieve. She is enthusiastic in her efforts to be a trusted person for the child. This makes her a good role model for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about working at the home. The manager is well regarded, and she is nurturing towards the team. This means that staff work in an environment where they feel well supported. There is effective support and challenge, and the manager ensures that all actions are reviewed. This means that poor practice is addressed effectively and good practice is promoted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers’ monitoring systems are embedded into practice, which ensures that they have a good oversight and take action to address issues as they arise. This comprehensive oversight makes sure that all aspects of care and the running of the home are maintained to a good standard. This better assists the manager to identify concerns and make prompt changes to improve and maintain good standards of care for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established strong connections with partner agencies. Professionals are unanimously positive about the communication with the staff team and about the care provided to the child. One professional told the inspector, ‘They have been consistent and predictable for [Name of child] through some difficult periods, which is what a child with their needs requires. They have started to be able to identify triggers and show a learning culture in which they are willing to accept mistakes and learn from them.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with a wide range of training that informs their practice and meets the child’s individual and diverse needs. Team meeting discussions are reflective and provide a comprehensive overview of the progress made by the child. The intensive residential outreach team provides the staff team with regular consultation that is specific to the child’s needs. This allows all staff an opportunity to discuss progress, generate ideas and have a consistent approach to the care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager does not always ensure that only suitable people work with vulnerable children. The recruitment process is not designed to ensure children’s safety. For example, as part of the recruitment process, applicants shadow staff in the home, meet the child and read information about them. This is before any safer recruitment checks in line with Schedule 2 have been completed. While these applicants are not left unsupervised with children, this potentially risks children’s safety and well-being and also impinges on their privacy. Inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 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 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

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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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

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that shadow shifts are not completed by staff before full and satisfactory checks in line with Schedule 2 have been completed. 2 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that managers fully follow the child protection procedures, particularly ensuring that the local authority designated officer is consulted in addition to the child social worker and emergency duty team following any allegations. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.19)

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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: 2630680 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sherlock Healthcare Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Made Simple Group, 20-22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Hilton Mutariswa

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Ayisha Kilpatrick-Wood

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Inspector

Marianne Grandfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 9 regulates and inspects 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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