Children's Home run by Sankofa Specialist Care Ltd in Oldham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2643338 1 Registered provider: Sankofa Specialist Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home which provides care for up to three children. Children living in this home may have a range of social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2023

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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: 13 December 2022

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2643338 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/08/2022 Full Inadequate 09/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2643338 3

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improvement to be good

Staff care about the children and understand what works well for them. Children are happy in the home and are building positive, trusting relationships with the staff. Children are supported to develop their relationships with family and friends. This has resulted in children making steady progress. One child said, ‘This is the best home I have lived in.’

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improvement to be good

Children are registered with doctors, dentists and opticians. There are good arrangements to meet the specific health needs of the children. Staff support children to attend their health appointments and ensure that children have access to specialist support to promote their emotional well-being.

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improvement to be good

Incentives are achievable and support children to attend school, work towards goals and use their interests to support successes. Children attend activities and local youth clubs; this enhances their social skills and improves their self-confidence. Children’s routines support their health and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not ensuring that the environment in the home is of an acceptable standard. While the kitchen and communal living areas are clean, tidy and homely, this standard is not maintained throughout the rest of the home. Children’s bedrooms were found to be in an unacceptable condition; the main bathroom was tired and worn, and there was unaddressed damage to the walls and doors. This does not communicate a nurturing and caring approach.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff know the children’s risks and understand them. Together, they identify and appropriately assess new risks. The manager ensures that risk management plans are individualised, giving clear guidance around how to best support children when they are struggling.

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improvement to be good

There is not a sufficiently accountable system in place for monitoring the suitability and effectiveness of consequences for negative behaviours. Records do not demonstrate that children are routinely consulted with. This reduces opportunities to seek children’s views and support them to learn from their behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Investigations into allegations are thorough and managed in line with statutory guidance. Information is promptly shared with appropriate agencies. This results in improved practice responses and ensures transparency. Direct-work sessions are completed with children following complaints and grumbles. Inspection report for children’s home: 2643338 4 When incidents take place, staff responses to children’s behaviour are inconsistent. Some staff members responses to the child have heightened their behaviour, and other staff are able to form positive, trusting relationships that support behaviour de-escalation. The manager is working with the staff team to develop a new culture, improve staff’s skills and knowledge and ensure that children receive consistent care.

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improvement to be good

All staff are trained to physically intervene when required. However, records of physical restraint do not reflect what staff have done to support children when in crisis or reflect staff’s ability to recognise why the child might be struggling. The manager acknowledges that further development is required to support staff in understanding children’s emotional communication. Records do not evidence the manager’s evaluation of incidents to support learning.

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improvement to be good

The manager has not reviewed the location risk assessment. The assessment contains out-of-date information and does not consider the risks in the local community.

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good

The new manager is aware of the improvement needs of the home and has continued to work with the staff team to create a culture of mutual respect, openness and trust. Recent staff changes, including a new deputy manager, have enhanced positive relationships between staff and children. These changes have not yet fully embedded in the home.

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good

The manager is ambitious, passionate and child focused. She has elevated expectations for children and what they can achieve. She leads by example and is enthusiastic about the staff team’s development. However, the manager does not have effective monitoring systems in place. This makes it difficult for her to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the service or to take swift action to address any shortfalls as they arise.

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good

The staff and manager have regular supervision; however, these are time-limited and do not include reflection on staff practice. As a result, staff do not receive regular guidance and feedback as part of the supervision process. The manager is reflective on her own areas of required development. She receives regular supervision sessions from the service manager, which include reflection on practice and service development.

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good

A number of managerial duties have not been completed. Previous requirements have not been met. Since the last inspection, the statement of purpose and the manager’s formal review of the care provided in the home have not been sent to Ofsted. This reduces the regulator’s oversight of events in the home.

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good

The independent person’s visits to the home are not sufficiently robust; there is a lack of consultation with children’s families and external professionals. The Inspection report for children’s home: 2643338 5 independent visitor’s reports are not providing leaders and managers with the level of independent scrutiny required to help them improve the quality of care for children. Further to this, reports are not sent to Ofsted in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home: 2643338 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, 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 (2) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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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)(b)(e)(h)) 6 November 2023

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour: and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; 6 November 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2643338 7 de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potential violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(ix)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used, or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(v)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to detailing the de-escalation strategies that were used, the staff debrief and the evaluation of the manager following any incidents of restraint. 6 November 2023

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 44 (2)(a) (7)(a)) 6 November 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 6 November 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2643338 8 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)(a)(b)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the manager must ensure that damage is repaired promptly and children’s bedrooms, bathrooms and the garden areas are maintained to a good standard. 6 November 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when reviewing the location of the home the review includes the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: 2643338 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sankofa Specialist Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 449 Brook Lane, Birmingham B13 0BT

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Inspector

Sally Hallwood, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2643338 10 regulates and 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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