Children's home run by YCPG Services Ltd in Walsall

Inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 1 SC392492 Registered provider: DMR Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for children aged between 11 and 17 years.

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Information about this children’s home

A registered manager has been in post since June 2021. He has a level 5 diploma in leadership and management.

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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 inadequate

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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: 17 January 2023

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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: SC392492 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2023 Full Good 08/07/2021 Full Good 21/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/07/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 3

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improvement to be good

There are four children currently living in the home. Three of the four children have been at the home for over 12 months, with one child living in the home for over three years. Children are not provided with regular opportunities to share their views, wishes and feelings. For example, house meetings should take place each week, but staff have gone over three months without holding a meeting. When meetings have occurred, it is not always clear what action the manager has taken to meet children’s requests. Staff do not regularly capture the child’s lived experiences in their daily records. Some documents are left completely blank. As a result, records are not kept up to date to reflect children’s progress. Children have interests and hobbies. However, staff do not always encourage children with these, or plan to take children on holiday. One child told the inspectors he has been on day trips but has never been away on holiday. The child was also

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improvement to be good

unsure whether staff had bought his school prom ticket. Furthermore, no one had taken him to buy his prom outfit. This lack of communication and encouragement leaves children feeling frustrated and let down. Staff promote children’s education well. When children are struggling with learning and development, staff support them in a planned way in collaboration with education staff and social workers. A school report for one child reflected the progress she is making and said, ‘Staff have heavily supported [name of child]’s education recently. Firstly, with advocating for her during a period when she was finding it very difficult to attend, and then with her exams, which staff helped her set up a timetable of revision, and supported her in attending her exams. So far, she has not missed one.’ Staff support arrangements to help children keep in touch with their family and friends. As a result, children continue to strengthen family bonds.

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improvement to be good

The lounge is warm, welcoming and well decorated. However, other areas of the home have broken or worn-out furniture, dirty carpets and damaged door frames. This does not provide a nurturing feel or promote high expectations.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager does not ensure that children’s plans help staff to recognise and respond to some behaviours or risks. For example, risk assessments have not been reviewed regularly and revised where appropriate. The assessments do not provide staff with information about known locations where a child might be when they go missing from the home or any other intelligence they have obtained. This Inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 4 has the potential to impact on keeping children safe when they are missing from home. Staff took responsive action to help a child during a significant incident. However, this incident was not reported to Ofsted. As a result, the inspectors were not able to give regulatory oversight of the serious incident and review what action the provider had taken to keep the child safe. Staff use physical intervention to prevent children causing harm to others. However,

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improvement to be good

records of these interventions have insufficient oversight from the manager. Furthermore, staff are not given the chance to reflect on their practice or identify learning. Managers ensure that staff are safely recruited. This means that staff working with the children have been suitably checked to ensure that they do not pose any risks to children. Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities. They promote positive relationships and support children to understand the risks they may face and how to manage and take responsibility for their own behaviour. As a result, children are learning how to keep themselves safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has also been managing another home within the company since the previous inspection. This has reduced their capacity for monitoring and oversight of this home, which has impacted on the quality of care provided to children. There have been recent changes of responsible individual. The new responsible individual is yet to demonstrate how she will support improvements and manage oversight of the home. The manager and deputy manager do not record their actual weekly whereabouts on the staff roster. This makes it difficult for staff and children to know who is available and when. As a result, staff are not always sure of their roles and responsibilities. Staff do not receive regular supervision and have not had an annual appraisal. Additionally, new staff are not supported well enough during the probationary period. For example, managers’ oversight is not reflected in the induction books to

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

show that objectives are met or that progress is monitored. This makes it difficult to determine whether staff are ready to complete their probation within timescales. On one occasion, the manager did not inform Ofsted when a child was admitted to hospital. As a result, the inspectors were unable to determine whether the correct action was taken to protect the child. Inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 5 The manager is addressing concerns with staff practice during team meetings. However, not all issues raised are being dealt with. As a result, the quality of care has declined.

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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 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

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

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The specifically relates to the home being appropriately furnished, decorated, maintained and cleaned. 11 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home. (Regulation 26 (7)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the nominated responsible individual having oversight of the home and actively supporting the improvements required. 11 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— 11 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 6 receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)) 11 August 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. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 11 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the staff rosters. 11 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 11 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted on. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities both inside and outside of the home (where appropriate) and are encouraged to participate in those activities. Staff should support children to take part in school holidays and leisure activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)

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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: SC392492 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: DMR Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: DMR Services, 102 Queslett Road, Streetley, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham B74 2EZ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Joanna Mountford

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Inspectors

Michelle Spruce, Social Care Inspector Patrick McIntosh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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