Children's home run by Monarch Intervention Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2671457 1 Registered provider: Monarch Intervention Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company, and it is registered to provide care for up to three children. The children may display complex emotional and social needs due to previous abuse and neglect.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2022, and she is currently working towards her level 5 diploma.

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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: 2671457 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2671457 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first inspection since registering in April 2022. Since opening, four children have moved into the home, and one child has left the home. At the time of the inspection, three children lived at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff invest in understanding the needs of children. One child told the inspector, ‘I feel safe and listened to. Staff are able to meet my needs.’ The staff team works collaboratively with the therapeutic team, which also works directly with the children. As a result, children and staff have been able to build trusting and caring relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged and supported to keep in touch with those most important to them. The team has a good understanding of each child’s individual family time plan, and staff facilitate and support children when seeing family. The team also understands that it is not always easy for children to see family, and they support children with these feelings. Children’s plans for seeing their family are bespoke to their needs and wishes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

From children’s starting points, they have made good progress with their education. On one occasion, the manager challenged professionals regarding comments used in a child’s education, health and care plan, as the comments had been detrimental to the child’s progress with finding an appropriate education provision. The manager’s challenge meant that the comments were removed. This provided the child with more opportunities for education. One child who currently struggles with engagement in education is currently working towards their mathematics and English qualifications. Staff know children’s capabilities, and they use this understanding to help children to work towards their education goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and the team are creative when capturing the views of children. Staff identified that one child struggled with sharing their views and wishes and making choices. The team created choice cards for this child for meals and activities. This was implemented to encourage the child to make choices in areas of their lives, rather than having choices made for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children moving into the home have had a positive transition. There are clear plans for children moving into the home, enabling transitions to be smooth and effective. One child had visited the home and expressed their wish to move in sooner as they liked the home so much. The team was flexible and enabled this to happen in a well-managed way. Children leaving have had well-planned transitions to their next home, and they have been equipped with independence skills. As a result, children who have moved out of the home are continuing to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a safe, stable and warm environment. Children have space to thrive, socialise with each other and the team and make positive memories. One Inspection report for children’s home: 2671457 4 child, who is very skilled with art, has painted a very creative picture, which is now on the wall in the lounge. As a result, children feel that they belong, and they are comfortable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are areas of the home that need redecoration. Some areas look tired and would benefit from a repaint and more personalisation. One downstairs window has no blinds following an incident. The manager explained that there is a plan to rectify this.

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

Allegation are managed well. Leaders ensure the child is held in mind and kept at the centre of the process. Relevant professionals are consulted with, and appropriate actions are taken. Children are provided with effective support to ensure that they are well, both physically and emotionally. As a result, children feel safe and listened to, knowing that the team around them acts appropriately when they raise concerns.

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

Physical intervention practices in the home are safe and in line with the training provided. The staff team uses their relationships with children to try and de-escalate incidents. When physical interventions occur, appropriate work is carried out after to restore the relationship between staff and children. Staff are always encouraged to reflect on their practice to see if development is required. Children’s behaviour management plans are updated regularly, and they are in line with the needs of the children. This has ensured that incidents are being managed in a safe and tailored way to the child.

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

Staff help children to understand how to keep themselves safe. Children are supported to have an understanding of safeguarding risks outside of the home. One child is being encouraged to get the bus to the city centre by themselves. This is a big step for this child, who is not from the area. However, the team is ensuring that this is managed in a safe way and that the child gains the knowledge they need to be independent.

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

Missing-from-care incidents are managed well by the staff. The team has a good understanding of children’s plans and ensures that they are followed when children go missing. Appropriate follow-up actions take place, including return home interviews and debriefs with the children. However, the recording of staff’s actions when children go missing from the home is not always clear. This has meant that initially, it has been difficult to determine whether staff have followed children’s plans correctly

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

Consequences are fair and in line with the children’s plans. Children are provided with opportunities to learn and reflect on what has happened. However, the recording of consequences is not always clear, and on occasion, there are missed details.

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

Self-harm incidents are not always managed well. On one occasion, when it was suspected that a child had taken an overdose, the team did not promptly respond Inspection report for children’s home: 2671457 5 when it was identified that the child’s health was deteriorating. Staff later called for medical attention; however, this should have been responded to sooner. On another occasion, it had taken staff 15 minutes to check on a child who was upstairs after being informed that the child had self-harmed. Consequently, there was a risk for further harm to occur. The manager has taken action to prevent this from happening again.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified registered manager. She is very passionate, cares for the children and staff and wants the best outcomes. One staff member told the inspector, ‘I am very fortunate to have a brilliant manager and deputy manager. They not only support and look after the young people, they also do the staff.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recruitment processes are clear and thorough. The manager shows due diligence when employing new members of staff. The manager has developed her own monitoring tool to ensure that all staff undergo the required checks. As a result, the manager is more assured that new staff are safe to work with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training is very child-focused and bespoke to the children who the team cares for. The manager sources training opportunities to keep staff’s knowledge up to date. Staff work closely with the therapy team, which enables them to develop a further understanding of children and how the team can work effectively with them. This allows the team to have the resources to provide more individualised care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works well with the children’s wider networks. The manager ensures that she communicates regularly to keep external professionals informed and shares information. There is good collaborative working, which has enabled more positive outcomes to be achieved for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are robust monitoring systems in place at the home. The manager has good systems in place to ensure that children’s records are clear and up to date. The manager has developed monitoring systems that also upskill the deputy manager and senior staff. As a result, there is strong oversight in the home, enabling the running of the home to be more effective. Inspection report for children’s home: 2671457 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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff respond appropriately to children’s risks 11 April 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff’s recording of complaints, incident forms and consequences is always clear and detailed, with all the required information. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that provides a domestic rather than institutional impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 2671457 7

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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: 2671457 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Monarch Intervention Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Glades, Festival Way, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST1 5SQ

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Inspector

Chanel Bryant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2671457 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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