Children's Home run by Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2654347 1 Registered provider: Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to three children who may have social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted on 11 September 2023. The registered manager post is vacant. An interim manager began working at the home on 18 March 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

This was the first full inspection of the home.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2654347 2

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improvement to be good

Three children have moved into the home and one child has moved out of the home since it registered with Ofsted in September 2023.

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improvement to be good

One child had an unplanned ending to their placement. The child went missing from the home and chose not to return. This child did not make progress and did not experience positive outcomes during their time at the home. For example, they did not attend education and repeatedly went missing. The child’s social worker said staff required greater patience and a better understanding of the child’s emotional needs.

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improvement to be good

In addition to this, there have been several shortfalls in safeguarding practice and in the leadership and management of the home that have had an impact on the overall progress and experiences of children.

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improvement to be good

One child said that they like living in the home and have good relationships with the staff.

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improvement to be good

One child is in an education placement. A member of the education provider’s staff said, ‘It’s early days. [Name of child] is making slight progress.’ The other child is not in education. The manager is working in partnership with education professionals to identify the right provision to meet the child’s current needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to spend time with those people who are important to them, such as their family, and ensure that safe and meaningful family time takes place when appropriate. This approach helps children to maintain relationships with people who are significant to them.

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improvement to be good

The home is well maintained and decorated to a good standard. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and comfortably furnished. There is a friendly atmosphere in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s care plans and risk assessments do not consistently provide clear guidance for staff to follow. For example, one child refused to take their prescribed medication on numerous occasions. Their medication plan did not specify the action staff should take when medication was refused. This shortfall does not ensure children’s health and well-being needs are met.

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improvement to be good

Referrals of concerns to the local authority are not recorded. For example, there is no audit trail for conversations that have taken place regarding children’s increasing Inspection report for children’s home: 2654347 3 risks. Managers have not documented telephone discussions or recorded minutes of meetings with social workers. As a result, records do not accurately reflect the local authority’s response to children’s changing risks.

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improvement to be good

Staff only use physical intervention when it is necessary to safeguard children and others. However, following the use of physical intervention, children are not always spoken to or given the chance to talk about what has happened. This is a missed opportunity for children to express their feelings. Additionally, staff are not consistently spoken to within the required timescale of the incident occurring. This absence of oversight and evaluation means that managers fail to identify whether restraint practices are proportionate, safe or effective, and also hinders opportunities for staff to learn from incidents.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently safeguard children when they go missing from the home. Guidance outlined in children’s missing-from-home plans is not consistently followed, resulting in delays in reporting these incidents to the police. In addition to this, staff do not always promptly conduct searches for children when they are missing. When staff find out where the child is, they do not immediately notify the police so that police can take appropriate action. On one occasion, staff waited for four hours after learning where the child was before informing police. This poor practice does not promote the safety and well-being of children.

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improvement to be good

Staff and leaders do not take allegations made by children seriously. External professionals are not promptly notified of incidents, resulting in insufficient protection for children. For example, when a child made an allegation against a staff member, that person remained on duty until the following day, which potentially compromised the child’s safety. This lack of immediate action undermines children’s confidence in raising concerns and does not help them to feel safe or secure in their environment.

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improvement to be good

Internal systems for managing children’s use of the internet are good. The home has a system in place which allows parental controls to be implemented, to ensure that children only access age-appropriate material. In addition to this, staff carry out checks on children’s electronic devices if they have concerns for children’s welfare. These actions help children to access the internet safely.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that the home environment is safe for children to live in. A range of health and safety checks are conducted to assess whether there are any hazards which could pose risks to children. Children take part in fire drills to ensure they know how to safely evacuate the home in case of an emergency.

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good

The registered manager post has been vacant since 8 January 2024. The interim manager has recently stepped down from their position in the home. A second interim manager started work at the home on the first day of this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2654347 4 These management changes have caused a sense of uncertainty and insecurity among staff and external professionals. Staff said that changes in the management team have unsettled the home. One external professional said, ‘My concern is that [name of child], is having a third manager since being placed in the home, and the possible impact of this on [name of child].’

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good

Managers’ monitoring and reviewing systems are ineffective. Managers have lacked professional curiosity in reviewing and evaluating incidents to identify shortfalls in staff practice or take appropriate action to ensure that children are safe and well cared for. This has led to failings in the quality of care and the protection of children.

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good

The leadership team is aware of the shortfalls in safeguarding practice and has devised an action plan to address the issues identified.

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good

Managers have admitted children to the home who have risks relating to going missing from home. However, no staff have received training in relation to managing missing-from-home incidents. This lack of training has adversely affected the safety and well-being of children when they have gone missing from the home. Managers have acknowledged this training shortfall and staff are scheduled to receive the necessary training.

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good

Managers have not supported staff with any learning from serious incidents. This undermines the overall effectiveness of the home in providing good-quality and safe care for children.

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good

A qualified staff team supports the children. Managers and staff regularly consult with the in-house clinical team and engage in reflective discussions about the children’s needs and progress. This supports staff’s understanding of children’s behaviours and the development of skills and strategies to respond to their individual needs.

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good

Despite the shortfalls identified during the inspection, external professionals said communication with the manager and staff was good. Inspection report for children’s home: 2654347 5

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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

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

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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)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that children’s medication plans include clear guidance for staff to follow when children refuse their medication. 20 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2654347 6 Staff must understand and implement children’s missing- from-home plans and follow the guidance when children go missing from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Managers and staff must take all allegations made by children seriously, ensuring the safety of children at all times.

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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

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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.

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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)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h)) 20 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 20 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2654347 7 This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that children and staff involved in physical interventions are spoken to within timescales and that this is recorded. The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that any discussions and meetings relating to children are documented and records are signed and dated. 20 April 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure continuous improvement in the home, particularly regarding learning following children going missing from home. Staff must promptly inform the police as soon as they become aware of the missing child’s location. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 2654347 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 16 Queen Street, Wellington, Telford TF1 1EH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Ann-Cheri Callow

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Inspector

Jas Nahar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2654347 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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