Children's Home run by Progress Children’s Services Ltd in Dudley

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2746884 1

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Information about this children's home

This home is operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to seven children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

There is a new manager in post, who took up position in November 2023. Ofsted is currently processing his application for registration

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This monitoring visit

On 16 November 2023, Ofsted carried out an Assurance Inspection and found serious and widespread concerns in leadership and management of the home. As a result of serious shortfalls, a decision was made to issue a restriction of accommodation notice on 17 November 2023. This has been adhered to and no new children have moved into the home.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was conducted to assess the progress made by the provider in addressing the previously identified shortfalls. Managers have not fully addressed the regulatory breaches identified at the last inspection. Serious shortfalls have been identified in safeguarding practice, staffing and care planning, with a further shortfall found in education.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has taken steps to recruit staff to the vacant staffing positions. One staff member has recently started at the home with a further staff member due to start in January. However, the home still does not have sufficient staffing with the appropriate level of experience to safeguard children from harm. The manager and responsible individual recognise that more time is required to embed the staff team and develop their skill base.

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This monitoring visit

Though there is an ongoing program of training, staff still lack the necessary skills and knowledge to manage the needs of the children. For example, not all staff have completed training in medication administration and understanding autism spectrum Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2746884 2 disorder. This means that not all staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities in meeting children’s needs and in keeping children safe.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are still not effective in keeping the child safe in their use of the internet and social media. The child is known to spend unsupervised time on the internet during the night. The manager has a strategy to address this. However, this has not yet been implemented into practice, so the child remains at risk of online abuse.

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This monitoring visit

The child is still not benefiting from well-planned day-to-day care. There is no consistency in the daily routines for the child. The manager said that the child regularly stays up late at night playing games on his console. This has had a negative effect on his overall experiences and progress.

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This monitoring visit

The child is not accessing any education. Consequently, the child is not making any measurable progress towards achieving his educational potential. Furthermore, staff do not engage him in constructive activity during the day, which means that he is left without meaningful activities.

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This monitoring visit

All requirements from this monitoring visit will be reviewed at the next scheduled visit. Currently, the restriction of accommodation notice remains in place. It is Ofsted’s view that there would be unacceptable risks to the safety of children should more children be admitted to the home at the current time. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2746884 3

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

support each child's learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child's education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child's education and training and to maximise the child's achievement;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child's relevant plans; and 08/02/2024 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2746884 4 that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child's learning. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(ix)(x)(b)) 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— that staff—

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies.

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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)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b) )

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff being competent in assessing risk and taking effective action to safeguard children.

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Requirement Due date

Also, to staff embedding routines at the home to ensure children's overall well-being.

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Requirement Due date

Also, to children being safeguarded online and when using computer games. 08/02/2024 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2746884 5 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 promotes their welfare.

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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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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

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)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the home being sufficiently staffed and well managed to provide safe and consistent care to children. 08/02/2024

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that children's care is well planned and staff understand what care is needed from the outset, including what actions they must take to help the child make progress. 08/02/2024 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2746884 6

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children's home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Progress Children's Services Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Progress House, 127 Millfields Road, Wolverhampton WV4 6JG

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Inspector

Dave Carrigan, social care inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2746884 7 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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