Children's Home run by Featherstone Care Services Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children's home: 2687555 1 Registered provider: Featherstone Care Services 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 home that has been registered with Ofsted since 18 April 2023. This home provides care for up to four children who suffer from complex trauma and social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was appointed on 7 July 2023 and has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2687555 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first inspection. Since the home opened, two children have moved in. Children develop trusting relationships with staff very quickly. This is because of the attentive and nurturing approach used by the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience well-planned moves into the home. For example, before moving in, children are able to visit the home to meet the staff and other children. One social worker told the inspector that the staff and manager have brilliantly supported their child with the move. They were given support packs to share with the child to give them information about the home. This approach helps children to have a positive experience of moving and to settle in very quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress from their starting points. Children who have previously found it difficult to form trusting relationships are supported by staff who tailor the way they provide care to meet children’s individual needs. Staff’s individualised approach is informed by input from a therapist, who helps the staff to understand early childhood experiences. As a result, children are benefiting from postive relationships with staff and respond well to their support and guidance. One family member told the inspector that since their child has been living at the home, he looks happier, is always smiling, his physical appearance has improved and the staff understand him.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide variety of activities that improve their overall emotional well- being and self-confidence. For example, children enjoy cooking, basketball, fishing, and visits to the park, museums and theme parks. In addition, there are plans for children to go away on holiday with staff. As a result, children have fun and make positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the educational needs of children well. They are proactive in ensuring that there are appropriate arrangements in place for children to attend school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff work very closely with all external agencies. The manager ensures that all professionals are informed of the progress that children are making. One independent reviewing officer told the inspector that they are incredibly impressed by the quality of care. They have observed staff genuinely wanting to look after their child and care for him.

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

Staff think beyond children’s presenting behaviours to try to understand what may be causing them to be upset. In one example, staff have recognised that a child leaves the home when he struggles to express himself verbally when feeling upset. Staff provide space, observe the child from a distance and let them know they are available. This helps the child to calm down quickly and come to staff for help. As a Inspection report for children's home: 2687555 3 result, incidents in the home are reducing as children feel able to talk about their worries with staff.

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

Staff implement clear and consistent boundaries which children understand and respect, and children said this helps them to feel safe. Through children’s meetings, debriefs and direct work, staff provide children with opportunities to tell them what makes them anxious and what they can do to help them. This ensures that children have a say in how they are cared for.

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

Risk management is good. Staff use a trauma-informed approach to inform children’s individual risk and behaviour plans. These documents clearly identify known risks and provide strategies to guide the staff in how to reduce risks to the children. Staff have a good understanding of children’s triggers and how to support them. As a result, the duration of significant incidents has reduced.

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

Physical interventions are recorded in detail, with clear management oversight. Any physical intervention is proportionate and only used as a last resort. Children receive meaningful debriefs and staff have opportunities to reflect on the incident and develop strategies to reduce incidents. This helps to strengthen staff’s practice and ensures that there is a consistent response to caring for children.

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

Staff can confidently explain the home’s safeguarding procedures and they know what to do if they are concerned about a child. Staff said they know how to contact the designated safeguarding lead for the home if they felt their concerns were not listened to by the manager.

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good

There has not been a registered manager at the home since 28 June 2023. The current manager has applied to register with Ofsted. She has high aspirations for the children and wants the best for them. She is supported by an equally committed staff team, who share her vision of providing a homely and caring environment where children can flourish.

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good

There are some shortfalls in the monitoring and oversight of the home by the manager and responsible individual. This is because the monthly management audit tool is not carried out each month. This has resulted in some shortfalls in the recording of staff supervision and evaluation of significant incidents. However, the oversight of the home has improved since the new manager started work.

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good

The independent person does not always provide the findings of their visit to the managers in a timely manner. This does not help managers to quickly address the shortfalls identified. Managers have taken swift action to address this and have appointed a new independent visitor. The effectiveness of the new independent person visits is yet to be tested. Inspection report for children's home: 2687555 4 Not all staff who have more than two years of employment in residential care have a level 3 qualification. This means that staff have failed to meet the regulatory timescales in obtaining their qualification.

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good

The management arrangements provide a supportive, collaborative and caring culture in the home for everyone. There is a real sense of teamwork and strong working relationships among staff, who acknowledge difficulties and support each other. This provides a stable team for the children. All staff speak highly of the manager and feel supported to do well in their role.

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good

The manager advocates for the children and challenges are made to the local authority about their education and future planning. This is particularly important for children who do not live in the same local authority area as that where the home is situated. One child told the inspector that the manager is their voice. Children feel listened to, valued and respected.

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good

Staff receive a wide range of training, including mandatory training and focused online training. Following completion of this training, managers have begun testing staff knowledge in staff supervision and at team meetings. This helps managers to ensure that staff feel more confident in their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children. Inspection report for children's home: 2687555 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, 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

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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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)(h)) 29 September

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

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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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— 29 September Inspection report for children's home: 2687555 6 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 1 st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that staff achieve the required qualification within the required timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered provider ensuring that there is effective external independent visitor monitoring in place and that they produce a report to the provider in a timely manner. 29 September

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report for children's home: 2687555 7 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: 2687555 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Featherstone Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 68 Yardley Road, Acocks Green, Birmingham B27 6LG

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Inspector

Sam Dulay-Kainth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2687555 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 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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