Children's home run by Absolute Children’s Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2525807 1 Registered provider: Absolute Children’s Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home that provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has two registered managers. One manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2019. The second manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2022.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2525807 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 31/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2525807 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children currently live in the home. Children receive care from a consistent and caring staff team. Both children told the inspector that they like living at the home. One child gave the home a rating of ‘10 out of 10’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to make progress with their learning. One child is making good progress with her college course and aspires to open her own hair salon. Another child is waiting to start his new education provision. Staff have promoted informal learning while he has not been attending school; this has included him receiving online and face-to-face tuition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff strive for children to have fun. Staff plan for children to attend activities they have not experienced before, such as go-karting, fishing and playing golf. Staff also spend time with children doing arts and crafts; one child was proud to make the home a new ‘welcome’ sign.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are aware of the importance of children spending time with families and friends. Children enjoy welcoming their friends into the home and children’s parents are complimentary about the staff and manager. Parents spoken to said that communication is good and that they feel their children are supported by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has recently moved out of the home following an unexpected and isolated incident between children. This move was earlier than expected because managers and staff could no longer meet the child’s changing needs. The manager and staff supported a positive transition to a new placement and provided the child with time to say goodbye. Following the move, staff continue to keep in touch and conduct visits to support the child.

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

Children said that they feel safe and that staff do all they can to keep them safe. Written risk assessments are in place for each child; however, risk management strategies are not always recorded. Following one incident, the manager did not update risk assessments to ensure that staff were provided with clear guidance despite this being a repeated behaviour. This did not have an impact on the safety of children. However, records do not reflect an assessment of risk; nor do they provide staff with strategies should a further incident occur.

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

Since the last inspection, there has only been one physical intervention and this was proportionate. However, the manager has not identified shortfalls in the record- keeping. For example, the record failed to log the correct time and all known information that led to the intervention. During the inspection, the manager accepted this shortfall and told the inspector that he would arrange training and review the recording system that is in place. Inspection report for children’s home: 2525807 4 Staff respond to challenging behaviour in a positive way and celebrate children’s achievements. During the inspection, one child was excited to receive a new games console controller for completing all of his schoolwork. When required, the use of consequences is appropriate. Staff discuss issues and concerns with children to help them understand risks and learn how to keep themselves safe.

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

Children are supported to develop independence at a pace suited to their individual needs. Children are learning new skills, such as learning to cook and doing laundry. One child has successfully gained part-time employment.

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

Children are supported to attend routine health appointments. Medication is safely stored and administered. Staff consult with health professionals when additional support is needed.

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

Professionals spoke about good communication with the staff and the positive progress children make in the home. During the inspection, a social worker for one child said, ‘The home feels like a family, and staff go above and beyond.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management arrangements are clear. The managers are suitably qualified and experienced. The managers know the children well and are passionate about achieving positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable staff team in place whose members have all worked in the home for a long time. Staff enjoy working in the home and feel valued and well supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and appraisals. Regular team meetings take place, which provide staff with the opportunity to reflect on children’s care and discuss how the team can work best together. Staff receive regular training. However, the home’s statement of purpose sets out particular training that staff do not receive. The manager reassured the inspector that this will be rectified in the statement of purpose and records show that staff have received all mandatory training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager does not challenge children’s placing authorities effectively when required. The manager had failed to escalate a delay in funding for a child’s school placement and when required documents have not been received in a timely way. Inspection report for children’s home: 2525807 5

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if they consider a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that any lack of timely response by a local authority is escalated when appropriate. 15 June 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 necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that children’s risks are accurately reflected in their written documentation, and that risk assessments clearly advise staff about how to respond to risk. 15 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure; and 15 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2525807 6 details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered provider ensuring that all known information leading to the restraint is recorded.

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Recommendation

 The registered person must ensure that the approach to training is clear in the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)

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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: 2525807 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Absolute Children’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 142 West Malvern Road, Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 4NJ

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Children’s home details

Registered managers: John Graham and Johnross McCullough

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Inspector

Sophie Hills, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2525807 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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