Children's Home run by Mahogany Strides Care Services in Worcestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 1 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

An individual runs this home. They are registered to provide care for up to two children who may have had adverse childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management and has worked at the home since it was registered in March 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection since registration.

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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

Date of last inspection: Not previously inspected

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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: 2698072 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have moved into the home and have lived there for about eight weeks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has already built up strong relationships with staff. Since moving into the home, his school attendance has increased, he is eating more healthily and he has been supported to explore his interest in dog walking. As a result, he is thriving in the staff’s care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A grandparent told the inspector that staff are ‘a beam of light’ and said, ‘[Name of child]’s progress is totally down to the staff at the home. We can sleep at night knowing that our grandson is safe at the home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The other child has also developed good relationships with the staff team, and he told the inspector that he feels respected by them. The progress he is making is affected by the amount of time he is away from the home. This has been despite the staff’s very best efforts to help him break the cycle of going missing from home. It is still early days in the child’s time at the home, and staff are not giving up on him. They continue to try their best to support him and encourage him not to go missing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children spoke to the inspector and confirmed that they like the staff and feel able to talk to them. The inspector observed warm and positive relationships with both children. There was lots of laughter, fun and discussion. Staff have a genuine interest in the children they care for, and as such, children feel valued and well cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are a range of activities for children to enjoy. For example, one child has enjoyed going out for pizza and trips to the fair and is currently preparing to go on holiday with the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views have been sought on the decor of the home, and there are plans in place to refurbish the bathroom. However, the lounge and dining area is used as a second bedroom for staff at night. This detracts from a homely environment and restricts access to some parts of the child’s home. A recommendation has been raised, and this situation will continue to be monitored.

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

There have been no incidents when children have been restrained by staff to keep them safe or incidents of self-harm. This is because staff are attuned to children’s feelings, and careful planning helps to manage the way in which difficult news is given. Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 3 Staff show genuine interest in the children and provide them with good support. This helps children to have open conversations about topics such as relationships, personal boundaries and risk-taking behaviours. The staff work with a clinical team that helps support the children and staff. This joined-up approach means that children get the right support at the right time.

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

A real strength of the staff team is its working relationships with other professionals and children’s families. When a child goes missing from home or does not return to the home as agreed, staff actively look for the child. Staff ensure that they share information promptly with the relevant people. A worker at the child’s school told the inspector that staff at the home ‘leave no stone unturned’ and that they ‘go above and beyond’ to try to keep him safe. This approach often means that the child is located and supported even if he chooses not to return to the home. When the child does return, he is welcomed home, and staff do all they can to encourage him to stay at the home.

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

The appropriate health and safety checks take place in the home. This helps to ensure that children live in a safe environment.

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

There has been one allegation made by a child. This was promptly shared with the child’s social worker and designated officer, and appropriate actions were taken. However, the registered manager omitted to inform Ofsted as required.

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

No new staff have joined the team since the home was registered. On one occasion, an agency worker worked in the home. The registered manager failed to ensure that she obtained all of the necessary checks to ensure that the worker was safe to work with children. However, any risk to the children was minimised as they did not work alone with the children.

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good

The manager is passionate about the care she and her staff team offer to children. She is aware of some of the strengths and weaknesses and has plans in place to drive improvement. Staff spoken to genuinely enjoy working in the home and feel well supported.

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good

Two staff members have left, and a third was dismissed. This has left gaps in the rota. Although staff have worked extra hours, this has also led to the registered manager working on shift to help ensure children receive continuity of care. Although there are plans for more staff to join soon, this has taken its toll on the manager’s ability to complete all her management tasks. For example, documents do not demonstrate all the positive actions staff take to keep children safe. There are times when staff give children consequences to help them change their behaviours. However, the manager has not had oversight of these to ensure that they are fair and proportionate. Furthermore, some supervision records are lacking in detail and quantity. Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 4 The registered manager has received two complaints. A complaint from a child is well documented with a clear response. However, the record of a complaint from a

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good

member of the local community has not been completed to the same level of detail.

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good

The home was registered at the end of March 2023; however, the monthly independent visits did not start to take place until May 2023. Furthermore, the reports have not been sent to Ofsted in line with the requirement. However, the reports that have been written are of good quality, and this, paired with a new consultant offering support, is helping the manager to understand where improvements need to be made.

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good

All family members and professionals spoken to during the inspection commented on the excellent levels of communication from the manager and how committed the staff are to the children.

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good

The registered manager is not afraid to challenge others if it is in the best interest of the children in her care. This has enabled one child to move from one hour’s education a day to half a day, with the vision for a full-time timetable at school. Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 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, 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 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))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that documents are reviewed by the manager to ensure their quality. This includes ensuring that all supervision documents are available and are of good quality; incident records tell the reader the work staff have taken to keep children safe; that sanctions are reviewed and all complaints are clearly documented. Furthermore, it relates to ensuring that the manager has all the correct information about agency staff. 9 October 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 an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 24 September

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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

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1) (7)(a)) 24 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the design of the home provides staff who sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.26)

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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: 2698072 7

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Inspector

Louise Battersby, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 8 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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