Children's Home run by Sherlock Healthcare Services Ltd in Solihull

Inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 1 Registered provider: Sherlock Healthcare Services Ltd 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 offering care for up to seven children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2022.

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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: 7 February 2023

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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: 2630680 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/02/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has successfully moved out of the home to live with family, and one child has moved into the home. There is one child currently living in the home. They have lived here for almost four months. The child has made progress since moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child’s health needs are met. The registered manager and staff support the child to access therapeutic interventions, which are delivered by skilled clinicians. This helps the child to develop strategies to manage their emotions, further promoting their health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Prior to living at the home, the child was not receiving any education. The manager has worked with the virtual school to secure suitable education arrangements to meet the child’s needs. As a result, the child is home-tutored.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child recently took part in an ‘Inspire Day’ with the University of Warwick. The child enjoyed this day, engaging in group discussions and participating in the activities. The child was rewarded with a certificate. This opportunity has helped to build the child’s confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to develop their independence skills. The child undertakes daily tasks, such as food shopping, cooking meals and cleaning and tidying their bedroom. These tasks support the child to build independence and take on age-appropriate levels of responsibility to develop life skills for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the child to spend time with those who are important to them, such as family. Staff ensure that contact is safe and meaningful. Staff have recently supported the child to attend a family funeral.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm, welcoming and well decorated. The child’s bedroom is comfortably furnished, and they have been encouraged to personalise their own space. This supports the child to have a sense of belonging. The child told the inspector, ‘It’s a nice house and I like my bedroom.’

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

Overall, safeguarding practices are effective. Staff know the child well and the actions that they need to take to mitigate risk and keep the child safe. There are detailed plans in place, which are regularly updated and provide clear guidance for staff to follow.

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

One missing-from-home episode has occurred since the last inspection. When children go missing, staff follow missing-from-home protocols and work with the local authority, families and the police to ensure that children return home as quickly as Inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 4 possible. When children return to the home, staff nurture them and show professional curiosity to find out what happened.

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

The manager takes prompt action when there are complaints and allegations. She shares information with professionals immediately and ensures that children are supported and protected from harm. Children are kept informed of outcomes. These actions give children the confidence to make complaints and help them to feel safe in their home.

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

There has been an increase in challenging behaviour from the child. In the main, staff follow strategies in line with the child’s plan. However, there have been occasions when staff have called the police for additional support to help manage the behaviours. The manager has put in place additional help for the staff to support them in managing challenging behaviour. In addition, the manager is working with specialist health professionals for additional support for the child.

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

Staff promote positive behaviour using positive praise and rewards. Most of the time, consequences are dealt with restoratively; however, staff do not always record and explain to the child the timeline of the consequence.

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

The child has a contract in place in respect of mobile phone use. Staff do not always follow guidance in this contract and do not always complete the required phone checks. This does not provide consistency for the child.

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

Staff follow the child’s medication plan. However, on one occasion, staff did not record the correct date when the child refused their medication. Although there was no impact to the child, the error in recording went unnoticed until it was picked up by the inspector during the inspection.

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

Staff ensure that the home environment is safe and well maintained for the child to live in. The child has their own fire evacuation plan and takes part in regular fire drills to ensure that they know how to safely evacuate the home in case of an emergency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably qualified and experienced manager leads the team. She has high aspirations for the child. The manager is supported by a diligent staff team that is committed to supporting the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although this is a newly established staff team, staff employed in the home come with a wealth of qualifications and experience. Staff have completed a variety of training suitable to the child’s needs. All staff are trained in the home’s therapeutic model of care. Consequently, staff have the knowledge and skills to provide the right care for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Each month, staff receive welfare clinical support from the in-house therapist. This promotes positive emotional well-being for the staff, who, in turn, provide the child with good levels of support. Inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 5 The staff are provided with effective supervision, and the child is at the centre of supervision discussions. This encourages reflection, development and learning around staff practice. This has resulted in an emphasis on constantly improving the quality of care for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good monitoring systems in place. She uses a monthly monitoring tool to track the child’s progress. External monitoring of the home by the home’s independent person also identifies areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff maintain effective partnerships with all professionals to ensure that the child benefits from the best help and support. One professional told the inspector, ‘[Name of child] is supported really well and staff are good for [name of child].’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that care is consistently provided in accordance with children’s plans. 30 November

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Recommendations

 The manager should ensure that there is effective monitoring of medication records, so that errors can be identified in a timely manner. The registered person should ensure that accurate records are kept of the administration of all medication, including occasions when prescribed medication is refused. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that staff adhere to the child’s mobile phone contract when monitoring its use. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)  The registered person should ensure that all consequences for negative behaviour are time-limited, and that this is clearly recorded and communicated to the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38) Inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 7

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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: 2630680 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sherlock Healthcare Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Made Simple Group, 20-22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Hilton Mutariswa

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Ayisha Kilpatrick-Wood

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Inspector

Jas Nahar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 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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