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

Inspection report children’s home: 2496764 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 provides care for up to four children who have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There are currently four children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There are two registered managers for this home. One manager has been registered since April 2021. A second manager has been registered since December 2022 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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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2496764 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/07/2021 Full Outstanding 27/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/08/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2496764 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy and thrive living at this home. The feeling of inclusivity and homeliness permeates throughout the building. Plentiful pictures and bright and colourful displays contribute to this. Children enjoy using the well-equipped resource room and sensory spaces. Children are relaxed and comfortable in their surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop strong bonds with staff as together they have lots of fun. Children choose how they would like to spend their time. They enjoy many day trips and go to local clubs. Together they go on holiday, and one child has had a trip abroad.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff plan children’s family time very well so children frequently see important people. One child has enjoyed a Christmas family gathering. Children’s families feel welcomed at the home and value the input and support that staff provide.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health and their complex needs are meticulously overseen. One child benefits from a bespoke sensory diet. The manager advocated strongly for one child whose mental health deteriorated. This persistency and effective working with the child and adolescent mental health practitioner ensured the child received the correct support. Staff have extra training to help them understand and implement agreed support strategies consistently. The child now manages a good daily routine, goes to school and spends time in all areas of their home and community. Their contentment and confidence have significantly improved. These interventions have had a considerable impact on all aspects of the child’s life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are aspirational for children to achieve well. They identify and monitor clear objectives which help children to become increasingly independent. Staff celebrate every success the children have and creatively portray these in many different forms. Visual and accessible reminders of what is going well, depicted through art, photographs and certificates, are on display at the home. This empowers children and develops their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have well-planned moves into and from the home. They are very happy and settle extremely quickly when they arrive. As children move to adulthood, staff put in place progressive plans, so children are familiar and confident in their new home. ‘Journey books’ capture all children’s enjoyable experiences, so they take their positive memories with them. Children maintain connections with each other and staff as they continue to visit the home.

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improvement to be good

One safeguarding concern has not been reported in a timely way. This delay means that protective measures have not been in place at the first opportunity to safeguard Inspection report children’s home: 2496764 4 the child and staff involved. Once aware, the manager took action, in consultation with the local authority designated officer. The response, however, is not thorough, as it does not address all concerns. Children have come to no harm as a result of the shortfall.

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improvement to be good

Children need high levels of supervision and support from staff. On one occasion, the supervision of a child was not effective. The child’s whereabouts were unknown and they were alone in the community, at risk of potential harm. Staff applied the missing-from-home protocol and the child returned safely after a very short period.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to meet with police when they investigate historical concerns. This reassures the children and helps professionals decide on the action they need to take. The manager does not inform Ofsted when child protection enquiries conclude. This limits the regulator’s ability to assess safeguarding practices at the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff are attentive in relation to how children visually present. They use creative and personalised communication packages with great effect. Staff reassure children who experience distress and discomfort because the children ably share with them how they are feeling. Staff educate children by using short stories that describe social situations, which improves children’s social interactions. Children get rewards when this goes well. Children’s anxiety lessens and incidents reduce.

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improvement to be good

Children’s individual support needs are thoroughly documented. Because staff apply guidance in comprehensive support plans well, they successfully divert escalating situations. The use of physical intervention does not often occur. When needed, staff use this proportionately to help keep everyone safe.

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improvement to be good

Children have no complaints about living at this home. They regularly meet with an advocate. Staff ensure children know how to make a complaint. Together they have drawn pictures and made a process map. Children know who they can go to if they are worried or upset.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The experienced manager provides strong leadership to this home. He has high expectations for children’s care and has high aspirations for the children. The respectful and proactive working dynamic within the management team is effective. This extends to the responsible individual, who is actively involved in the day-to-day running of the home. Together these leaders are positive role models for the staff team and develop an increasing culture of positivity at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Due to staff leaving, there have been a high number of changes in the staff team. Thorough recruitment checks ensure new team members have the skills and are suitable to work with children. There is now a stable and cohesive staff team in place. Inspection report children’s home: 2496764 5 Staff are enthusiastic and motivated because they feel valued and well supported. Good-quality reflective supervision sessions and timely debriefs following incidents occur. Annual staff appraisal and a training programme ensure staff continually develop in their role. Group discussions in monthly team meetings further engrain a culture of inclusivity. There is a good team morale and staff are proud to be part of this team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager encourages staff with professional development opportunities. One staff member is keen to inform their practice by conducting research. They have collated resources with the intention to now share these with the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses a variety of monitoring tools effectively. This helps them to have good oversight of the service. Monthly visits from the organisation’s own independent person provide professional challenge that is valued. The manager is aware of what is working well and addresses any actions promptly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s forward-thinking approach demonstrates good practice in enabling an evolving service. Clear targets are set as a consequence of a thorough quality of care review. The manager is inventive and inclusive, so all staff and children contribute to the improvement of the home. A comprehensive and interactive plan is an excellent example of sharing how they accomplish great outcomes. Inspection report children’s home: 2496764 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 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there are sufficient staff on duty to supervise children effectively, and that when staff do not follow safeguarding procedures in a timely manner, sufficient safeguards are put in place while managers assess this failing. 7 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry). (Regulation 40 (d)(ii)) 7 April 2023 Inspection report children’s home: 2496764 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that they inform the regulator of the outcomes of child protection enquiries.

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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 children’s home: 2496764 8

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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: Natesha Miller Ian Boyle

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Inspector

Alexandra Howitt, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2496764 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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