Children's Home run by Hand In Hand Childcare in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510328 1

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Hand In Hand Childcare

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have suffered early childhood trauma. A private company runs the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has left since the last inspection. An interim manager has been appointed at the time of this visit.

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This monitoring visit

The home was judged inadequate at the last full inspection in May 2023. As a result of the concerns identified at the full inspection, two compliance notices were issued in relation to regulation 12 and regulation 13 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. Ten requirements and two recommendations were made.

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This monitoring visit

This visit examined the progress made by the home in meeting the compliance notice in relation to regulation 12. No other requirements or recommendations were reviewed at this visit.

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This monitoring visit

There are three children living at the home at the time of this visit. Two children are settled and there have not been concerns about their safety since the last inspection. One child’s safety and progress remain a concern.

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This monitoring visit

All three children were spoken to at the time of the visit and said that they liked living at the home and had positive relationships with staff. However, planned activities had not taken place with children over the half-term break. This was as a result of poor planning and risk management. This has prevented children from enjoying days out and activities that they were looking forward to. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510328 2 Since the last inspection, there have been some significant changes within the management team. The registered manager and deputy manager have left the service. An interim manager was appointed and, at the time of this visit, has been in post for one week. She is supported by a deputy manager who already worked for the organisation.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have begun to make improvements to the condition of the home. All children have new beds, new carpets have been fitted, and the kitchen was undergoing a makeover during the visit. There are plans to ensure that the home is developed further and provides a warm and welcoming environment for children.

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This monitoring visit

Managers and staff have reflected on the shortfalls raised at the last inspection. Poor practice has been challenged and training and support have been put in place for the staff team. Staff have benefited from reflective exercises to support their development. Safeguarding training for all staff is due to take place in June 2023.

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This monitoring visit

While there has been a review of the home’s risk assessments and missing-from- home protocols, risk management practice remains a concern. Written guidance and plans are not yet providing staff with the information they need to keep children safe. Known risks are not always included, neither is information about possible locations of the child and if they are safe places for staff to search. Subsequently, staff are not taking enough action to keep children safe when they are missing from home.

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This monitoring visit

Since the previous inspection, staff have increased the amount of time that they actively search for the child when they are missing from home. However, managers and staff continue to fail to take every opportunity to ensure the child’s safety and welfare, and help them to return home quickly. For example, when staff became aware of the child’s location and that they were potentially injured, staff did not go to the child as there was not enough staff on duty. They telephoned emergency services but failed to follow up on these calls to ascertain if the child was safe and received medical attention. In another example, staff did not take the opportunity to disrupt a child’s plans to go missing from home. This resulted in another missing incident in which the child was injured. The actions of managers and staff continue to leave the child vulnerable and at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notice in relation to regulation 12 is not met. This has been issued for a second time. Requirements from the previous inspection remain in place and will be reviewed at future inspections. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510328 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/05/2023 Full Inadequate 26/04/2022 Full Good 26/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/11/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510328 4

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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 with the given timescales.

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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

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s bedrooms are clean and tidy and that the home is a nurturing, well-maintained and welcoming environment for children. 16 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child; 16 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510328 5 regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager and staff ensuring that they support children to express their views and consult with them and provide feedback.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the registered manager and staff ensuring that children are supported to overcome barriers to their learning. 16 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences.

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the registered manager and staff 28 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510328 6 ensuring that children are supported to enjoy activities that have been planned for them. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(ii))

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the registered manager and staff ensuring that they protect children from harm. They must understand their roles and responsibilities to protect children, take action to prevent children from harming one another and follow child protection procedures.

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Requirement Due date

It also refers to staff ensuring that they understand potential risks, minimise risks and follow children’s risk assessments. These documents must be regularly reviewed and updated. 16 June 2023

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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

promotes their welfare. 16 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510328 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the registered manager ensuring that staff have a consistent approach to managing children’s behaviours.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to the registered manager ensuring that they and all staff receive essential training.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to the registered manager ensuring that they use internal monitoring systems more effectively.

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the registered manager and staff ensuring that they help each child to prepare to leave the home both practically and emotionally. 16 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

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— 16 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510328 8 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. (Regulation 32 (4)(a) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that all staff receive reflective supervision. 16 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the missing child policy") setting out—

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Requirement Due date

the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children from being absent without permission; and

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Requirement Due date

the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, so absent. (Regulation 34 (4)(a)(b)) 16 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. 16 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510328 9 (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff ensuring that all children’s records are updated and capture the child’s journey.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that that each child’s day-to-day health and well-being needs are met. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that that the home’s statement of purpose is kept under review and reflects the staff structure in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraphs 3.6 and 3.6)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510328 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hand In Hand Childcare

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 20 Birmingham Road, Walsall WS1 2LT

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Inspector

Natasha Skinner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510328 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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