Children's Home run by Clear Water Care Homes Ltd in Sandwell

Inspection report for children's home: 2614738 1 Registered provider: Clear Water Care Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since the home opened in June 2021. She is suitably qualified. However, she is currently on planned leave from the home. There is an interim manager covering in her absence.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2614738 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2614738 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, there were three children living at the home. No children have moved in or out of the home since the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

The home is generally clean and tidy in most areas and some improvements have been made since the previous inspection. The entrance hallway has been redecorated and feels welcoming, and a family tree with children’s photographs hangs on the wall. However, other areas in the home do not create a nurturing environment. This is due to poor maintenance work and outstanding issues not being addressed promptly. This does not help the children to invest in their home and feel valued. This was raised at the previous inspection and the requirement is not met.

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improvement to be good

Children do not receive effectively planned care, as managers do not have their most up-to-date plans from the local authority. Managers fail to effectively escalate requests to the local authority for the children’s most up-to-date plans. This disorganised approach to the care planning arrangements for children has contributed to the children’s needs not being fully understood by staff and managers.

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improvement to be good

Children have built strong relationships with the staff who care for them. This means that children do have someone they can talk to if they have any worries.

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improvement to be good

Children’s overall and day-to-day experience of living in the home is positive and they are making progress. One child told the inspector, ‘It’s the best place I have ever lived.’ Another child told the inspector, ‘I have noticed that my anger has reduced since living here.’ Managers and staff work in partnership with the placing authority, children, their families and specialist agencies. These relationships enable staff to provide personalised care that supports and reflects children’s needs.

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improvement to be good

There is a positive ethos about the importance of education. As a result, children do well in education and have full-time attendance. Staff work in partnership with education professionals. They are consistent in their approach, and have adapted their strategies to successfully support children to reintegrate into education, despite them having a history of poor school attendance.

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improvement to be good

Children’s memories are captured through photographs and are stored in beautiful and personalised books. These books provide children with a valuable record of the time they spent living in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2614738 4

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improvement to be good

Managers are clear about their responsibilities to protect children. Managers understand the child protection policy and know how to report a safeguarding concern. The manager has a system in place for recording, reporting and monitoring safeguarding concerns. Additionally, the depth of staff’s safeguarding knowledge is now reflected on during team meetings and supervision sessions.

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improvement to be good

Due to the positive relationships enjoyed between the children and staff, the use of physical intervention is rare. Incidents of restraint have decreased from children’s starting points. Where restraints have taken place, these have been managed well. Restraints are used as a last resort, are necessary and proportionate.

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improvement to be good

Staff educate children around risk. Children take part in key-work sessions on important topics for them. This direct work includes self-harm strategies, online safety and managing emotions. This positive work enhances children’s knowledge of risk and allows them to take the lead in their learning.

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improvement to be good

There are safe systems in place for the storage, administration and disposal of medication. There are now clear protocols in place for staff to follow. However, on one occasion, staff administered one child the incorrect dosage of their prescribed medication. This did not cause any impact to the child. Appropriate action was taken by the manager and this practice was swiftly addressed, which has resulted in no further incidents.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff demonstrate a great understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and potential risks posed to them. However, the written risk assessments do not giver clear direction for staff to follow specifically around allegations, self-harm and missing from care. This does not ensure that children are protected from harm. This was raised at the previous inspection and the requirement is not met.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment practice is not always robust. For example, managers do not always ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. This does not fully protect children from potentially unsuitable people working at the home. This was raised at the previous inspection and the requirement is not met.

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good

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2021. She was on a planned leave during the inspection. She is suitably experienced and holds the relevant qualifications. There has been an interim manager covering the registered manager’s absence. This has helped to maintain good staff morale. Staff are positive about the support they receive during this period and enjoy working at the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2614738 5 The manager keeps children at the heart of all she does. She has good knowledge of children’s starting points and what they have accomplished since living at the home. She is fully involved in children’s lives. She is clear about the progress children are making and has high aspirations for what they can achieve. However, leadership and management of the home are not yet consistently good. For example, at the last inspection, eight requirements were raised, three of these have

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good

Staff are provided with a wide range of training that informs their practice and meets the child’s individual and diverse needs. Team meetings and supervision sessions take place monthly and are now used as a place for reflection and learning. Important issues are tracked and discussed, and children is at the centre of all practice.

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good

The manager now has some good oversight of the home. Auditing tools are used, which produce action plans to develop the staff’s practice further and promote consistency in the home.

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good

The manager has established good connections with partner agencies. Professionals are positive about the communication with the staff team and about the care provided for the children.

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good

The internal review of the quality of care was submitted to Ofsted within the required timescales. However, the report did not include any feedback from children, their parents, placing authorities or staff. This fundamentally limits the opportunity for leaders and managers to learn and take action to improve the quality of the home.

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good

The statement of purpose clearly demonstrates the aims and objectives of the home. This helps parents or placing authorities to have a clear understanding of the service’s aims. However, this has not been sent to Ofsted, neither does it include the current names of staff who work in the home and any relevant qualifications.

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good

The majority of staff hold the relevant qualifications for the role. However, one staff member has not obtained their level 3 qualification in residential childcare within the required timeframes. This means that not all staff have been trained to the required level to meet children’s needs. The manager has noted this shortfall and is taking steps to address it. Inspection report for children's home: 2614738 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, the 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 the registered person considers, or staff 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 specifically relates to ensuring that the registered manager escalates concerns to the local authority to ensure that local authority plans for children are received within timescales. 27 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(vii)(viii)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the registered manager ensuring that all aspects of the home are welcoming and nurturing.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the previous inspection and is restated. 27 August 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2614738 7 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

This particularly refers to the registered manager and staff understanding, updating and implementing the child’s risk assessment.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the previous inspection and is restated. 27 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. 27 August 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2614738 8 For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that the registered manager has obtained all relevant information in relation to the individual matters in Schedule 2. The registered manager must also ensure that staff complete the relevant qualifications within the required timescales.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the previous inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— 27 August 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2614738 9 the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the registered manager consults with all relevant people when completing the review of quality of care.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the statement of purpose is kept up to date, under review and submitted to Ofsted within timescales. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)

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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: 2614738 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Clear Water Care Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Elsenwood Crescent, Camberley, Surrey GU15 2BA

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Inspectors

Marianne Grandfield, Social Care Inspector Nateisha Cardoza-Evans, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2614738 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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