Children's Home run by Accalia Care Services Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2586947 1 Registered provider: Accalia Care Services Ltd.

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home was registered with Ofsted in July 2020 to provide care for three children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post who is working towards a suitable qualification.

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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: 28 February 2023

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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: 2586947 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/08/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2586947 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children live in the home. There have been no children move into or out of the home since the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming and has a family atmosphere. Children’s belongings fill the home; their photos and achievements are on display. Books and games are easily accessible, and soft furnishings help to create a nurturing environment. Children personalise their bedrooms, and this allows them to take a sense of pride in their home and promotes their well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have built strong relationships with the staff who care for them. Relationships between staff and children are warm, affectionate and loving. This helps children to build trust and to feel safer and relaxed in their surroundings. One child told the inspector: ‘This is the best place I have lived in. I am more patient now and my anger has reduced since living here’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff understand the importance of education. They work in partnership with schools and the placing authority to find children a suitable provision that reflects their learning needs. They have successfully supported one child to reintegrate into education despite them having a history of poor attendance. This helps children to maintain a daily routine that supports their academic needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy various activities; staff support and encourage children with their interests. This provides children with the opportunity to gain new experiences and have fun. For example, one child attends choir group and another is a member of an ice-skating club.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to support children to keep in touch and have meaningful relationships with people who are important to them. Staff take time to plan these visits carefully. This enables children to have positive experiences with their families. One parent told the inspector: ‘The home is lovely; they have come on loads since living there. They are now back in school which has been a challenge.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff make every effort and dedicate an immeasurable amount of time to attain the opinions of the children. Staff listen to the children’s views and act on the choices they make. Children are heavily involved in sharing their voice in their placement plans. Children’s views are promoted, and they say they are ‘listened to’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s memories are captured through photos and 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: 2586947 4 The manager and staff use bedroom door alarms to monitor children’s movements. Staff do not adequately assess the need to use these monitoring devices, and there are no highlighted risks to children’s safety if they are not used. The use of these alarms is common practice in the home and infringes on children’s privacy without due reason. For example, door alarms sound when children use the toilet at night.

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

Staff and children have positive and caring relationships with each other. Managers and staff listen to children’s views. Children know how to make a complaint, and any complaints are taken seriously. As a result, children feel listened to and valued.

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

Staff educate children around risk. Children take part in life-coach sessions and engage in meetings where safeguarding scenarios are discussed to address identified risks and raise their awareness about topics of concern. This direct work includes healthy relationships, 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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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff physically intervene when children become unsettled and show behaviours that place themselves or others at risk of harm. Staff understand the reasons behind behaviour and provide good support to children afterwards. This helps children to move on from the incident. The manager provides scrutiny of all incidents and measures of control to ensure that their use is fair and proportionate. Good management oversight and prompt action to address issues mean that children are treated fairly and stay safe.

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

When children go missing from care, staff follow the joint protocol effectively. Searches conducted by staff and persistent attempts to make contact show children they are cared about. Proactive collaboration with parents, local authorities and police supports children to return home safely. Missing-from-care incident records are clear, enabling thorough monitoring of these events by the manager.

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

Children’s risk assessments are detailed and clear. These plans provide the staff with the information and guidance they need to understand and support the specific vulnerabilities and risks for each child. This awareness is embedded in the staff’s day-to-day work, which effectively reduces and minimises the risks for children. Staff are directed in how to manage and mitigate the risks identified for each child.

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

Staff are clear about their responsibilities to protect children. The manager has an effective system for recording, reporting and monitoring safeguarding concerns. Liaison with professionals, such as the designated officer and social workers, is effective. The manager takes guidance from these professionals, and they work together to ensure that children are safe. However, information is not always shared within the necessary timescales to Ofsted.

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

Managers do not always monitor, review and evaluate consequences given to children effectively. Managers lack professional curiosity and fail to identify shortfalls Inspection report for children’s home: 2586947 5 in staff recording and practice. Some consequences given are not restorative in nature or in line with the home’s ethos and the children’s ages and understanding.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably experienced manager leads the team. The manager holds some relevant qualifications for this role and is currently completing the level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare. The manager keeps children at the heart of all she does. She is passionate and ambitious for the children and ensures that this ethos spreads through the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager 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.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

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

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established strong connections with partner agencies. Professionals are positive about the communication with the team and about the care provided for children. One social worker told the inspector: ‘We have seen vast improvements in [name of child]. The home understands their needs, listens to them and promotes their interests. This has been important for [name of child] as it has supported them to find their passion for ice skating’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight on the home. Effective auditing tools are utilised, which produce action plans to develop staff practice further and promote consistency in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about working at the home. The manager is well regarded, and she is nurturing towards the team. This means that staff work in an environment where they feel well supported. Inspection report for children’s home: 2586947 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 privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that children’s bedroom door alarms are kept under review and are non-intrusive. 24 September

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that Ofsted are notified about significant events without delay. 24 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2586947 7 This requirement was raised at the previous inspection and is restated.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 48, paragraph 9.38)

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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: 2586947 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Accalia Care Services Ltd.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Radclyffe House, 66-68 Hagley Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B16 8PF

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Leaford Williams

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Inspectors

Marianne Grandfield, Social Care Inspector Nateisha Cardoza-Evans, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2586947 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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