Children's home run by YCPG Services Ltd in Walsall

Inspection report children's home: SC063813 1 SC063813 Registered provider: DMR Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home is privately owned by a small company. It provides care for up to six children who have experienced childhood instability, leading to trauma and associated risks.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager holds a level 5 qualification and registered with Ofsted in November 2010.

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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: 17 January 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 children's home: SC063813 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2023 Full Good 11/05/2021 Full Good 05/08/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/03/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC063813 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were four children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress and have positive experiences in this home. This is because of the care and support that they receive from staff. Relationships between children and staff are very good and these relationships give children the confidence to share their views, wishes and feelings. Two children said that they rate the home ‘eight out of ten.’ All children said that they like the staff and get on well with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and leaders support children’s transitions in and out of the home. The registered manager assesses each child’s risks effectively. When children leave the home, staff keep in contact with them and provide support to help them settle. Staff provide children with photo albums, which celebrate their achievements and memories in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the importance of education to children. Children are encouraged to attend school and engage with their education plans. Furthermore, staff work with education professionals to help children to overcome any barriers to their learning. This supportive approach provides children with opportunities to engage and achieve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s specific health needs are met sensitively and effectively. Staff and managers support children to attend routine and specialist appointments. Medication administration systems are organised safely, promote good health, and all prescribed medication is given as directed by health professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to become more independent and improve their life skills. Children have access to an on-site flat within the home which they use to help prepare them for independence. Consequently, children grow in confidence, become more resilient and improve their skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is safe, homely, and well maintained. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and there are photos of children around the home. Shortfalls identified around the home during this inspection, were immediately rectified by leaders.

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

Children said that they feel safe. Staff provide clear structures and are open and honest in their approach with children. This approach ensures that there are clear and consistent rules and boundaries in place. Staff carry out good quality key work sessions and meetings to educate children about risks, safety, and diversity. For example, staff have completed sessions, which have helped children to understand Inspection report children's home: SC063813 4 about racism and the impact the language they use can have on others. The home is busy, but staff work hard to create a calm and relaxed atmosphere.

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

Staff work effectively with children to raise their self-esteem and confidence. Positive rewards, verbal praise and support are used to celebrate children's achievements and promote their engagement. Negative consequences are rarely used and when they are they are fair and proportionate.

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

Since the last inspection, there has been one incident requiring staff to use physical restraint with a child. This was to prevent one child from assaulting another child. The registered manager’s oversight and review of the incident was comprehensive. She ensured that the child and staff were spoken to and provided them with opportunities to reflect and learn from the incident.

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

Staff and leaders work hard to safeguard children who go missing from the home and are at risk of exploitation. For example, when children go missing from the home, staff follow detailed protocols, they actively search for children in known locations, contact children's friends and share all intelligence with the police. The registered manager ensures that children receive routine return home interviews. Any information gained as part of the interviews is used to inform risk management.

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

Overall, staff work effectively with the police and safeguarding agencies to manage and review challenging incidents and risk in a timely manner. On one occasion, staff did not immediately notify the police when a child brought illegal substances into the home. However, staff did remove the substance. Failing to share vital information with all relevant safeguarding professionals can leave children at risk.

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

Staff have a good understanding of safe working practices. They understand the needs of each child and their vulnerabilities. However, some risk assessments do not reflect the children’s current situation. In addition, some incident reports do not reflect the actions staff have taken to safeguard children. These are recording shortfalls, but could impact on the registered manager’s ability to review the effectiveness of strategies used to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced, qualified manager. She understands children’s progress, experiences, and advocates on the behalf of each child. She is supported by two experienced deputy managers and a responsible individual. Together, the management team ensure that children receive a good quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A settled, child focused, and dedicated staff team provides consistent support to children. Staff are committed and genuinely care about the children. They strive to provide children with new and enjoyable experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders ensure that staff continue to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their role. Staff have access to a good training programme. Most staff are qualified, and others are working towards the qualification. Staff work closely with a Inspection report children's home: SC063813 5 therapist to reflect on their practice. Staff feel supported by the management team. Managers. They receive regular supervision and appraisals to support their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, internal, and external systems for monitoring the care that children receive are good. An independent person visits the home every month. The reports are detailed and support the manager in improving care practices. However, the registered manager’s systems had failed to identify some recording shortfalls and did not ensure that all relevant safeguarding professionals were notified of a significant incident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is central to planning the care for children. To support this, she has developed good relationships with children’s families and a wide range of agencies. One professional said, ‘I would not hesitate to place another child in this home. They keep the children safe, and communication is excellent.’ One child’s social worker said that the care provided to a child was excellent and since living in the home the child’s risks had reduced. Inspection report children's home: SC063813 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 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff follow their safeguarding policies and inform the police when a child has brought illegal substances into the home. 17 April 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they have in place good and effective monitoring systems to enable them to oversee the welfare of the children in their care. These systems should identify any areas for development and support the registered person to make continuous improvements to the care that children receive. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 54 paragraph 10.23)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. This relates to ensuring that when staff review children's risk assessments, they make clear records, which are up-to-date and relevant to the needs of the children. In addition, children's incident records need to be recorded effectively and capture the actions staff have taken to safeguard children. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 62 paragraph 14.4) Inspection report children's home: SC063813 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 children's home: SC063813 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: DMR Services Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: D M R Services, 102 Queslett Road, Streetley, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham B74 2EZ

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Joanna Mountford

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Inspector

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC063813 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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