Children's home run by Stepping Stones Care (Midlands) Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2671339 1 Registered provider: Stepping Stones Care (Midlands) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private company and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who have social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since May 2022.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected and the care and experiences of children are poor and they are not making progress.

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2671339 2

p.1

inadequate

One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection, and she moved on from the home on the last day of the inspection. Two other children have moved in and on from the home since it was registered.

p.2

inadequate

When making decisions about children moving into the home, managers do not consider whether staff have the skills and experience to meet these needs safely and meet them well. In addition, managers don’t think through if the children’s needs can realistically be managed alongside those of the children already living in the home. This failure caused disruption and instability for children who then experienced unplanned moves on from the home.

p.2

inadequate

The child living at the home at the time of the inspection did not have any structured daily routines, and this contributed to poor school attendance. Teachers told the inspector that they were so concerned about the child’s attendance that they had referred the matter to education welfare officers.

p.2

inadequate

Managers and staff do not work in partnership with relevant professionals. As a result, children do not receive coordinated care that supports their progress and welfare.

p.2

inadequate

Children do not receive adequate support to help them live a healthy lifestyle. Observations on inspection, as well as feedback from staff and professionals, confirmed that the child is not eating a nutritious balanced diet.

p.2

inadequate

The child does not receive encouragement to participate in activities that she enjoys, such as attending her swimming and writing clubs. This is a missed opportunity to help the child to socialise, have fun and continue to develop her creative skills and fitness.

p.2

inadequate

The children who moved out received some good support to maintain links with family members. For example, a child saw her sibling for the first time in two years. Another child received some help to process issues of loss and bereavement.

p.2

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

Staff do not effectively safeguard children from bullying in the home. There have been significant incidents when children have intimidated each other and been verbally abusive and aggressive. This has undermined children’s experience of living at the home and left a children feeling unsafe.

p.2

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

When a child moved on from the home, she shared with her new carers that she had felt unsafe living at the home. It was evident that bullying behaviours from Inspection report for children’s home: 2671339 3 children were not managed well by staff and so had impacted on the child’s emotional well-being, as the incidents had left her feeling extremely upset.

p.2

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

Staff failed to take on board the advice and recommendations from the organisation’s clinical team. As a result, the staff failed to promote positive relationships among the children and effectively support them in regulating their emotions.

p.3

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

Staff lack the skills and experience in managing the children’s low-level behaviours. A manager said, ‘The children have been in control of the adults.’ On occasion, senior managers attended the home to support staff to manage these incidents. A neighbour raised concerns with the police regarding noise levels from the home, which resulted in the police visiting the home. Staff do not put in place consistent routines and boundaries to enable the children to develop appropriate and socially acceptable behaviour.

p.3

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

When children go missing from the home, staff make efforts to contact children and follow them to try to get them to return safely. Staff ensure that children have return home interviews, with an independent person, to talk about why they went missing and what happened when they were away. Staff use this information to inform risk assessments.

p.3

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

Recruitment practice is robust and helps to ensure that suitable people are employed to care for children.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management of the home is poor. The monitoring and reviewing of the home by the managers is ineffective. It does not help to maintain good standards of care to children and limits the progress that they make.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A poor approach to care planning significantly undermined children’s progress and experiences. When a child moved on because of difficult dynamics between peers, another child moved in quickly. This did not provide staff and children the opportunity to reflect on and learn from what had happened.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has experienced high staff turnover, which means that children have not been consistently cared for by experienced and skilled staff who they have established relationships with. Although staff have received training, they have not been supported to put what they have learned into practice to support children effectively.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not receive supervision regularly and new staff are not effectively supported through their induction process. When shortfalls in practice are identified by managers, these are not promptly addressed. This is a missed opportunity to provide staff and the manager with guidance and training to enable them to reflect on their own development and practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2671339 4 Leaders have acknowledged shortfalls identified within this inspection. They have a good action plan to address concerns and have temporarily closed the home to concentrate on improvement work.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

As a result of this inspection, Ofsted imposed a condition on the home’s registration. This means that the provider is required to inform Ofsted of their intention to admit children three months before a child will commence living at the home. Ofsted will then undertake a monitoring visit to establish if the home is ready to accept children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2671339 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.5

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.5

Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff provide children with routines and boundaries to support their development and progress. 30 April 2023

p.5

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

p.5

Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement; 30 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2671339 6 help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(x))

p.5

Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(ii)) 30 April 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

p.6

Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 30 April 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

p.6

Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; 30 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2671339 7 de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

p.7

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential;

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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)) 30 April 2023

p.7

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.7

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.7

Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 30 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2671339 8 The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.7

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 30 April 2023

p.8

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: 2671339 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stepping Stones Care (Midlands) Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Camomile House, 6 Embassy Drive, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 1TP

p.9

Inspector

Rumbi Mangoma, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2671339 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10