Children's Home run by Harmony Childcare Residential Homes Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 1 Registered provider: Harmony Childcare Residential Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company and is registered to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2023.

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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: 13 December 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A restriction of accommodation notice was issued following a monitoring visit in February 2023. This was subsequently lifted following an assurance inspection in May 2023, when no serious or widespread concerns were identified and improvements had been made. Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2022 Full Good 30/08/2022 Full Inadequate 08/09/2021 Full Outstanding 02/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. One child has lived in the home since the last inspection and continues to make good progress in all aspects of their lives. Two children have enjoyed carefully managed moves to live in the home and have settled well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff promote children’s education well. Two children attend alternative education provision regularly and are making good progress. The provider is temporarily contributing to the funding for one child’s education as they view this as an investment in the child’s future. One child who moved in a few weeks prior to the inspection engages in home education with a tutor. This is in line with their plan until a new school is secured for them. The manager has been a strong advocate for the children. This has led to one child having a specialist education assessment being completed to identify further support for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with local health services and attend appointments when required. Staff help two children to continue to engage with specialist support for their emotional health. This means children’s wide-ranging health needs are well managed by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to carry out their own household tasks, such as cooking, cleaning and budgeting, in line with their age and stage of development. This good support means that children learn valuable skills that will help to prepare them for their future transition to adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are heard and acted upon by staff. There are a variety of ways the children have been able to share their wishes and feelings about the care and support they receive. This includes weekly children’s meetings. The responsible individual also has a monthly consultation with each child, which they enjoy. Children receive feedback from these meetings so they know what action has been taken by leaders and managers. This helps children to feel valued and respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A range of positive activities help children to have fun and learn new skills. Children have enjoyed meals out, horse riding, swimming and holidays with staff. One child is learning to play the guitar. A child’s achievements have been recognised at an awards ceremony hosted by the child’s placing authority. Another child has been nominated for an award.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious, homely and well maintained. Children have personalised their bedrooms with photos of them and their families. One child has decorative wallpaper in their bedroom. Another child proudly shows off their guitar, which takes pride of place on their bedroom wall. Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 4 Children are encouraged to spend time with people who are important to them. One child’s parent visits their child in the home to build their relationship. The manager arranged a summer fun day that was well attended by professionals, staff and children’s family members. The manager also funded the cost of transport for one child’s family members so they could attend this day. Children benefit from seeing staff, professionals and family members working well together.

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

Staff manage children’s behaviours well and have a good understanding of their individual needs. They build positive and trusting relationships with children. The care they offer children has been bolstered by the introduction of a more defined therapeutic parenting approach. This has led to staff acting as positive role models and being more nurturing and empathetic with children. As a result, children feel safe in the home and have not gone missing from care. Staff have also not been required to intervene physically to keep children safe.

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

Risk management plans are generally well written. They contain clear guidance for staff about the risks to children and what they need to do to keep the children safe. Plans are regularly updated to reflect any changes or emerging risks to children. There has been good safety planning and ongoing support for one child. This has helped them to continue attending school and led to a reduction in their anxieties.

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

Children’s complaints are taken seriously and acted upon. Children are informed of the outcome of their complaint and the manager has oversight of this process. This helps the manager to provide advice and guidance to improve staff practice. Children are also confident to complain about each other’s behaviour at times. Through staff support and mediation, children’s relationships with each other are managed well.

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

Two children have struggled to manage their emotions, leading to them harming themselves. Staff have remained supportive and acted appropriately. Direct work has helped children to understand their behaviours and triggers. Children have also been engaging with specialist services to learn about alternative coping strategies. All of this has led to a significant reduction in self-harm incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and committed. They are supported by a skilled responsible individual and a deputy manager. Since the last inspection, they have worked well together to lead the home effectively. Managers have continued to identify, act upon and review concerns about children’s care and any shortfalls in staff practice. As a result, new staff have been recruited and new processes and procedures have been introduced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said they feel supported by managers. They have a good induction, regular supervision and team meetings. Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 5 Staff are generally positive about the culture in the home. Overall, progress has been made and this has created a more stable, safe and effective home for children. However, there have been occasions when some staff have not agreed with their colleagues’ practice. On one occasion, this was due to children’s night-time routines being changed without wider consultation. Managers have been proactive in these situations. They acknowledge this is an area of ongoing development and have plans in place to improve this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A variety of training courses, including those based on children’s identified needs, are offered to staff. This enhances staff skills and knowledge. Most staff are qualified and experienced. They support and mentor newer and less-experienced staff. As a result, children benefit from care by well-trained and skilled staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has put into place some good systems to monitor the quality of care and staff practice. A new management information system has also led to improved staff record-keeping and writing. However, on two occasions children’s plans have not been updated appropriately. There was no direct impact on children’s care, but this was not picked up by the manager as part of their monitoring activity. The responsible individual and managers continue to make ongoing improvements to avoid this happening again in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been positive feedback from professionals, including education providers. They commend the staff and the manager for their multi-agency working and the support this provides to children. Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 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 promotes their welfare.

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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

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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should consistently work as a team to resolve differences of professional opinion.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, it relates to ensuring that monitoring and reviewing systems are effective. Managers should ensure that children’s documents are always updated correctly. 29 January 2024

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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: 2495967 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Harmony Childcare Residential Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Easyflow Limited, 38e Vanguard Way, Battlefield Enterprise Park, Shrewsbury SY1 3TG

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Inspector

Nurul Kabir, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 8 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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