Children's Home run by Blue Kite Children Care Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 1 Registered provider: Blue Kite Children Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in May 2023. The registered manager post is vacant.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/07/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home. One child had recently moved out, having lived at the home for 13 days. This was an unplanned move for the child.

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improvement to be good

The needs of children already living in the home are not carefully considered by leaders and managers when assessing the suitability of children moving in. Furthermore, leaders and managers fail to gain a good understanding of children’s behaviours, to help them assess the capacity of staff to meet their needs.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to make a complaint. When a complaint is made, this is investigated by leaders and managers. However, when a child making a complaint moves on from the home, the outcome is not shared with them, in accordance with statutory guidance.

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improvement to be good

Staff are ambitious for the child living in the home to access education. They work closely with partners, such as the child’s social worker, to make sure that academic learning is provided if they do not have a school place. There are daily plans detailing educational activities that the child takes part in, such as home tutoring, trips to the museum and cooking. This helps the child to develop skills and be prepared for attending education.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the significance of family relationships and support the child to maintain positive relationships with people who are important to them. One parent said, ‘They are welcoming. They take my views on board and consult me about [name of child].’

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improvement to be good

Children moving into the home are quickly registered with the relevant health professionals to ensure that they have access to medical assistance when required. However, leaders and managers have failed to put measures in place to support and encourage the child to stop vaping, despite the known risks to the child’s health.

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improvement to be good

The child says they feel safe living in the home and can identify a trusted adult who they can confide in about any worries and concerns they may have.

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improvement to be good

The approach to behaviour management is ineffective. Leaders, managers and staff do not take strong and proactive action to reduce harmful behaviour displayed by the child. In addition, conflicting messages are given to the child about behavioural expectations, which means the child does not receive consistent guidance on what is deemed to be acceptable behaviour. Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 4 Risk management plans identify the child’s associated risks. However, there is not clear guidance for staff on how to respond so that the child is safeguarded effectively. For example, the child is known to have a previous addiction to gaming. To manage this, the child is to be encouraged to game responsibly, but there is no guidance for staff about what gaming responsibly means.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of going missing from home are managed appropriately. The child’s individual missing-from-home protocol helps staff to understand what action they should take to locate the child. Records provide a detailed account of the events that led to the child going missing and staff’s efforts to facilitate their safe and quick return to the home.

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improvement to be good

There has been one physical intervention used in the home during the inspection period. This intervention was used to safely support the child. Records demonstrate that leaders and managers have reviewed the incident and consultation with the child has taken place.

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improvement to be good

Measures have been put in place to monitor the child’s use of the internet, such as parental controls. However, when risks arise around the child’s use of the internet, little is done to educate them on the dangers, to safeguard them from harm.

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good

Since the last inspection, there have been changes to the management arrangements. A new manager has been appointed. The manager is supported by the existing deputy manager and together they have introduced systems to oversee the quality of care provided to children. At the time of the inspection, these systems had not been fully embedded in practice. For example, managers were unable to demonstrate that staff have read and understood the child’s plans.

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good

Systems to support staff and monitor their practice are not effective. Newly appointed staff are not receiving regular supervision, in accordance with the home’s statement of purpose. Furthermore, when leaders and managers identify concerns with staff practice and conduct, this is not always recorded in supervision. Managers do not identify how they plan to monitor and review practice issues to ensure that staff are competent to fulfil their role and the child does not experience poor care.

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good

Staff have access to regular training, which includes a comprehensive induction plan for new staff members. However, mandatory training for existing staff is out of date and there is little evidence that leaders and managers have taken action to ensure that this is addressed in a timely manner.

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good

Staffing arrangements are sufficient. The home is currently staffed by a permanent staff team. Leaders and managers have recruited new staff to the home who have undergone a vetting process to ensure that they are suitable to care for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 5 Leaders and managers ensure that health and safety checks of the home are carried out consistently. Fire drills are carried out regularly and the child is taught their significance. Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that children’s plans provide staff with clear strategies on how to manage children’s behaviour and minimise the risk of them being harmed.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that there are plans in place to support children to reduce behaviour that is known to impact on their health, specifically around the use of vapes. 30 January 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 7 Leaders and managers should ensure that staff understand how to respond to risks and are clear about their roles and responsibilities.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that newly appointed staff receive appropriate support and supervision in accordance with the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, leaders and managers must ensure that staff fulfil all requirements around completing mandatory training within the required timescales.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, leaders and managers should raise and document concerns about staff conduct and practice to support staff development and ensure that the quality of care provided to children is of a good standard.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers should ensure that relevant plans are read, understood and followed by those who care for children.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers are to support staff and the running of the home by having systems in place to monitor and review the quality of care provided to children. 30 January 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 8 The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must consider how to meet the needs of children admitted to the home and how new children moving into the home may impact on children already living in the home.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that children are supported to arrive at and leave the home in a planned and positive way. 30 January 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 9

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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: 2718067 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Kite Children Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 14 Reedham Gardens, Wolverhampton WV4 4HE

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Inspector

Chibuzo Otache, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 11 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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