Children's Home run by Accalia Care Services Ltd in Sandwell

Inspection report for children’s home: 2494873 1 Registered provider: Accalia Care Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties. The registered manager 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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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 25 October 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2494873 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/10/2021 Full Good 05/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2494873 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences of living in the home are mixed. Two children positively moved on from the home to independent living. One of the children has lived in the home for nearly two years, which has provided them with stability. They have made progress in some areas, for example their self-confidence, self-care and social skills. However, other children’s experiences have been less positive, and the quality of the care provided to children is variable.

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improvement to be good

Children’s care plans do not comprehensively identify their needs. The documents lack focus and do not link well with others. Therefore, the staff do not have well- defined plans to follow. This affects how well the children’s day-to-day care is coordinated.

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improvement to be good

There are no clear plans in place for one child who turns 18 in three months. This means that the child is worried about where they will be living. The manager has not planned effectively or recorded their efforts to ensure that a plan is in place. This has left the child uncertain about their future.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to make a complaint, and they have a variety of opportunities to express their views on living in the home, such as during their children’s meetings. However, records do not consistently show how the children’s views have been listened to and acted on. While one child has an independent advocate, others do not. This means that not all children benefit from having an additional independent adult who can advocate for their rights.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager and staff help children to build and maintain relationships with their families. The manager ensures that children can spend quality time with their families when this is appropriate. These experiences are recorded well, which helps to inform future plans for children.

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improvement to be good

Children attend routine health appointments, and staff respond to the children’s presenting medical needs. The children’s emotions impact on their day-to-day well- being, and this can result in children harming themselves. Children are offered therapy to provide additional support, but not all children access this currently.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has not assessed children’s risks effectively and put in place appropriate strategies to manage known risks. This means that the children living in the home, who are of different ages and maturity, are exposed to potential risk from each other via communication on their mobile phones. Inspection report for children’s home: 2494873 4 When concerns have been raised regarding staff practice, the registered manager has responded by involving external professionals. Management investigations have been completed to establish the details of these events. However, these investigations lack challenge from the registered manager and do not show that all staff are able to reflect on incidents.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not always given clear guidance on how to protect children, because plans are sometimes not reflective of known concerns. This means that staff are inconsistent in their approach to keeping children safe.

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improvement to be good

Missing-from-home episodes are low. When children do go missing from home, the staff generally respond promptly and in line with policies and procedures. Once safe, children living at the home are offered return home interviews. However, on one occasion, staff dropped a child off with an unknown friend and the child went missing for two days, during which time the staff did not go out to look for them. This exposed this child to unnecessary risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Staff have used restraint on two occasions since the last inspection, and on both occasions, this was to prevent children or others from being harmed. Children and staff receive debriefs after these incidents. The manager’s oversight was documented and reflects the incidents well.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has recruited three staff members since the last inspection. Two were external candidates and one was internal from another home in the company. All safer recruitment checks were completed and recorded before these staff members worked at the home. This practice helps to ensure that children are cared for by safe adults.

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good

The current registered manager is due to leave the home soon. A new manager has been appointed and has been working alongside the registered manager in order to prepare to take over the home. This appointment will provide consistency to children and staff as the incoming manager already has a good understanding of the home and the care provided. The new manager plans to submit her application to register with Ofsted.

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good

The registered manager has reviewed all staff’s training records. When he has identified gaps in the staff’s training, he has taken effective action to address these. Staff receive appropriate support to complete their qualifications within appropriate timescales.

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good

Leaders’ oversight of the staff’s responses to children’s behaviour does not always ensure that relevant direct work with children is completed after incidents. This inconsistent practice prevents children from learning from these incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: 2494873 5 The registered manager does not have an effective system to measure and monitor the children’s educational progress. The registered manager has not escalated issues appropriately, for example when he has not received local authority plans for education for two children.

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good

The sampling of staff supervision records identifies that these meetings do not always support staff’s reflection and learning from their practice. In one example, a member of staff did not discuss the children for three consecutive months. This shortfall limits staff’s opportunities to reflect on their work with children and be supported through effective practice-based supervision. Inspection report for children’s home: 2494873 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(i)(x))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the quality and relevance of direct work sessions with children and the quality of staff supervision sessions in supporting staff to meet children’s needs. 3 April 2023

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if 3 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2494873 7 necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff follow children’s risk assessments and behaviour support plans at all times, particularly for missing-from-home episodes and mobile phone use.

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the management oversight of children’s education plans to ensure that staff have clear guidance. 3 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and 3 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2494873 8 plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (2)(b)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the quality of planning for children moving out of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2494873 9

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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: 2494873 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Accalia Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Radclyffe House, 66-68 Hagley Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B16 8PF

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Leaford Williams

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Inspector

Mark Dickinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2494873 11 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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