Children's home run by Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company

Inspection report for children's home: 1273658 1 Registered provider: Birmingham Children's Trust Community Interest Company 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 Birmingham Children’s Trust.

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Information about this children's home

This home provides care for up to 16 children who have a physical and/or learning disability and/or a sensory impairment. The home provides 10 long-term placements and six short-break placements.

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Information about this children's home

There is a suitably qualified registered manager in post.

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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 September 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1273658 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 28/09/2021 Full Good 25/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/08/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 1273658 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in this home make good and sustained progress. Most of the children have complex needs and some are non-verbal. Since the last inspection, one child has been welcomed into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop strong relationships with staff who understand their individual personalities well. Attentive care from staff who offer unwavering support ensures that children feel able to develop in an environment where they are respected and accepted for who they are.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s healthcare needs are clearly identified within individual healthcare plans. Staff receive comprehensive training to enable them to meet children’s complex needs. This includes training in the safe administration and recording of medication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend local schools and colleges with good levels of attendance. There is a good relationship between education and care staff. This ensures that there is a consistent approach between the home and education providers to support children’s learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children are non-verbal and staff communicate with children in a range of ways including the use of pictures, symbols and by observing body language. The staff gain children’s views and the views of their family members through key working meetings, consultation, and feedback forms. This inclusive approach means that the children are involved in the planning of their care. All children have an advocate. However, it is not clear if children know how to make a complaint as the complaints procedure is not contained in the children’s guide to the home. This limits children’s options, should they wish to make a complaint.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to explore faith and culture. One child recently attended a Sikh temple to celebrate Diwali. This demonstrates that children’s values and beliefs are a priority and that children are encouraged to learn about their culture.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are opportunities for all children to learn independence skills to prepare them for adulthood. Targets are set with the involvement of the child and their parent or carer. Staff then support the child to focus on their targets and develop their skills. This has helped children to make good progress over time. For example, one child can now feed themselves and another child has made great improvements in their communication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The physical environment is well maintained and is safe for the children to have freedom of movement. Safe outdoor equipment is abundant in the home's garden for the children to enjoy. Appropriate levels of supervision by staff ensure that children have fun and enjoy the outdoor space safely. Inspection report for children's home: 1273658 4

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

Children’s risk assessments and risk management plans are of a good standard. Staff recognise and understand the strategies to follow to keep children safe. Staff use the expertise of parents and other professionals to regularly update risk assessments. This helps to ensure that guidance remains relevant and accurate. Staff know the children and their behaviour well and contribute to the development of tailored strategies to support individual children effectively.

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

Children are encouraged to take age-appropriate, managed risks. For example, risk management strategies account for the need for children to have positive community-based experiences. Well-managed exposure to a range of experiences helps children to develop their independence skills so that they can lead fulfilling lives.

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

Good staffing ratios ensure that children receive the support and protection that is appropriate to their individual needs. This means that when children feel unsafe or become anxious, there is always an adult nearby who will take sensitive and supportive action.

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

Staff have strong relationships with children. Staff are effective at redirection and de-escalation techniques to defuse potentially disruptive behaviours. Because of this, there have been no instances of physical intervention.

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

Safer recruitment procedures are not consistently implemented. For example, for one staff member, relevant references were not sourced and for another staff member, the reasons for leaving relevant employment where they worked with children or vulnerable adults were not verified. This does not help to ensure that children are cared for by staff who are suitable or safe to do so.

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

Staff complete regular health and safety checks and follow a range of safety procedures to protect children from potential hazards. These include fire drills to ensure that children know what to do in the case of fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates strong child-centred values. She has high expectations for the children in her care. She is supported by an experienced and committed management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable and includes staff with a range of skills and experience. Duty rotas are well planned and consider staff strengths, experience, and training in light of children’s specific needs. Consequently, the children are cared for by staff who are trained to meet their needs and with whom children feel safe and comfortable. Effective staff communication and clear handovers between staff means that children experience good quality care. Inspection report for children's home: 1273658 5 Staff work well as a team. Staff value one another and the management team. Staff feel supported in their roles and enjoy working at the home. Staff have regular team meetings and regular professional supervision where they have the opportunity to discuss children’s care. As a result, staff understand the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training is up to date, including training to meet children’s specific needs. Staff benefit from access to the organisation's training hub. The focus on the knowledge and development of staff ensures that children receive care from staff equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to meet their complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff develop effective partnerships with all those involved in the children’s lives. Communication between staff, children and their families, social workers and other professionals is good. A social worker said, ‘Communication is good. I can just pick up the phone and speak to a member of staff about one of the children. Staff also give good updates at reviews telling everybody about progress and how the child is doing.’ Because of this collaborative approach, there is clear coordinated support to meet children’s needs. Inspection report for children's home: 1273658 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, 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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children's home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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)(2)(a)(b)(3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that relevant references are sourced when staff have been self employed and that there is verification of the reasons why previous employment with children or vulnerable adults ended. 11 January 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children's guide helps children to understand how to make a complaint in line with the home's complaints procedure; how they can access advocacy support or independent advocacy if eligible; and how to contact the Office of the Children's Commissioner. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards,’ page 24, paragraph 4.22) Inspection report for children's home: 1273658 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: 1273658 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Birmingham Children's Trust Community Interest Company

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 1 Avenue Road, Aston, Birmingham B6 4DU

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Inspectors

Dave Carrigan, Social Care Inspector Chanel Bryant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1273658 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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