Children's Home run by HAVEN CARE GROUP LIMITED in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2689015 1 Registered provider: Haven Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties because of early childhood trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by an experienced registered manager.

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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: 15 November 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2689015 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2689015 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home. Three children moved from the home during this inspection period. The managers ensure that children move into the home in a planned way, including during an emergency. The manager encourages children to visit the home and meet their new carers. Children are also provided with information about the home, including routines and expectations. This helps children to feel less anxious about the move.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Not all children have a positive experience of moving on from the home. One child moved in and out of the home within a few weeks. This negative experience impacts on a child’s stability. Although managers completed an initial assessment, this assessment did not carefully consider the needs and compatibility of all children. Consequently, a decision was made to end the placement within a short timescale.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are committed to promoting children’s engagement with education. The support from the manager and staff helps children to make positive progress from their starting points. Two children’s attendance improved significantly while they were living at the home and they have achieved qualifications after previously having low attendance. Professionals were positive about the manager and staff’s commitment to children’s education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector observed positive and nurturing relationship between the children, the manager and staff. These relationships help children to settle in the home. A child said, ‘This home is better than the other homes I have lived [in].’ Professionals said the manager and staff know the children very well and ‘have children at the heart of everything that they do’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are committed to promoting children’s relationships with the people who are important to them. This includes supporting family time for children whose family live a considerable distance from the home. This individualised care promotes children’s well-being and development of their identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is in the process of being redecorated. The environment is warm and nurturing for children. The manager ensured that fire exits were accessible and the home was safe as the decorating continued. However, a fire door was propped open with furniture. This is unsafe practice and action was taken during the inspection to move the furniture.

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

The manager and staff have a good understanding of children’s individual needs and risks. Risk assessments are detailed and clear and set out the actions staff should take to keep children safe. When children’s needs change, the manager and staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2689015 4 review children’s plans and identify action and support to ensure that children’s needs continue to be met.

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

The manager responds proactively when children make an allegation. Information is shared in a timely way with the relevant professionals. During investigations into allegations, the manager ensures that children can discuss their worries with another professional such as a social worker. This approach ensures that children feel listened to and they feel safe to share concerns. When appropriate, the children and staff involved are supported through a restorative approach to re-establish relationships.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff follow children’s plans. Following their return the manager ensures that children are seen by an independent person. The manager escalates concerns promptly and challenges professionals when they are not acting in line with the home’s missing protocol. This practice prioritises children’s safety and welfare.

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

When staff have used physical interventions to keep children safe, managers undertake a debrief with the child and staff involved. However, on occasions, staff do not follow children’s plans. The records of incidents do not clearly describe the measure used. For example, terms such as ‘high or low intervention hold’ are used. This does not provide sufficient information to enable practice issues to be identified and addressed. This also prevents independent scrutiny to determine whether staff actions during the intervention were safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced and qualified manager leads the team. She has good knowledge of children’s accomplishments and she is aspirational for children’s futures. The manager is actively involved in children’s daily life and she has positive relationships with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are cared for by a committed and qualified staff team. Staff are provided with a wide range of training that informs their practice and meets children’s individual and diverse needs. Staff said that they are well supported by the manager. This creates a positive working environment where children feel safe in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the responsible individual work as a team. The responsible individual is actively involved in the daily operation of the home and visits regularly. The manager and the responsible individual maintain oversight of the home using effective reviewing and monitoring systems. These systems provide a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the staff receive regular supervision. Supervisions are reflective, focus on staff development and consider any improvements to the quality of care for children. Children’s safety, welfare and outcomes are at the centre of these discussions. New staff receive a detailed induction. This helps to equip the staff with Inspection report for children’s home: 2689015 5 a good understanding of each child’s needs. The support and training provided to staff ensures that children receive good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recruitment practice is not sufficiently robust. The managers do not adequately explore gaps in employment for all staff and on one occasion, did not request an overseas check. This does not ensure that only suitable, vetted staff work with children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2689015 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that they can meet the needs of children moving into the home, and ensuring children have a positive experience leaving the home. 1 December 2023

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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

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that all schedule 2 checks are undertaken and obtained before staff start work in the children’s home. 3 November 2023

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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

a description of the measure and its duration. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that the record of an intervention describes the measure or restraint used and avoids the use of generic terms such as ‘high-level intervention’. 1 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2689015 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s homes comply with relevant health and safety legislation. This includes ensuring that fire doors are not propped open. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s policies and procedures around the protection of children should reflect any requirements of other relevant legislation. This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that a dog risk assessment is completed to ensure that the children living in the home are not at risk of harm from the registered manager’s dog being present in the home daily. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.22)

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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: 2689015 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Haven Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Haven Care Group, Unit 6, Barberry Court, Parkway, Centrum One Hundred, Burton-on-Trent DE14 2UE

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Inspector

Nateisha Cardoza-Evans, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2689015 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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