Children's Home run by Dimensions Care Limited in Sandwell

Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 1 Registered provider: Dimensions Care Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to three children who have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by an experienced and qualified registered manager who has been in post since July 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

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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: 14 February 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 for children’s home: 2686902 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children in the home make good progress in many aspects of their lives. They are provided with therapeutic care by staff who encourage them to develop and succeed. One child left the home to live with a foster family a few weeks before the inspection. The child had been thriving in the home, made great progress in school and developed the ability to communicate their emotions better. Due to this good work by staff, the child has settled and is doing well in their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s education and aspirations. One child attends a specialist school and is working above expectations in many subjects. One child is completing a college course as they wish to make a difference by caring for children in the future. Another child is struggling to manage their behaviours in their alternative school provision. Staff have been working closely with the school to identify more specialist support for the child in school. They have also worked with local colleges to identify vocational courses in line with the child’s wishes. This helps children to feel valued and to work towards their ambitions in life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities in line with their interests. They enjoy go-karting, swimming and camping. Children have also enjoyed going on holiday with staff. Two children wish to travel overseas and have been planning with staff and saving money for this trip. This has led to children being able to budget and understand the importance of being able to save towards something more expensive that they want to do.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The health and well-being of children are monitored well by staff. Children are registered with local health services. They attend routine appointments for their physical and emotional health. As a result, children are supported to remain healthy and to better understand their lived experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The diverse staff team understands and promotes the children’s identities well. Children spend time with their family members. One child has been helped to understand the importance of family relationships. The child has been gradually building a relationship with a parent who has been absent from their life. Difference is also celebrated by staff. One child has been exploring their gender identity. Another child has been exploring religion and their cultural heritage.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to build their independence skills. They complete a range of tasks around the home, including cooking meals and doing their laundry. One child has developed their confidence to travel independently on public transport. This child has a bespoke independence plan based around their additional needs. The child’s social worker said staff have been great in supporting the child to develop their independence skills. Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 4 The home is spacious and welcoming. Children’s pictures brighten up the communal areas in the home. Children’s bedrooms are spacious and personalised by them. However, repairs in two bathrooms and in one child’s bedroom have not been completed in a timely manner. The managers acknowledge this and have plans in place for this work to be completed.

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

Safeguarding practice in the home is good. This is underpinned by staff’s knowledge of the children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Clear risk assessments and plans for children provide staff with guidance around actions to take to keep children safe from harm.

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

Children’s behaviours are well managed by staff. Routines and boundaries provide children with stability. Individualised incentives and regular direct work help children to understand the actions they take. Staff have had to physically intervene when one child has been physically aggressive towards the other children. This action has been taken by staff as a last resort and was recorded well. The managers have regular oversight of these incidents, and this helps children and staff to reflect and learn from these. Following serious incidents, the managers notify relevant professionals. However, there have been some occasions when managers have not notified Ofsted in a timely manner.

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

One child has struggled with their emotions, leading them to harm themselves. Staff have worked with this child to develop alternative strategies. This has included alternative ways of communicating their feelings more effectively. As a result, incidents of self-harm have reduced.

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

Staff understand and follow children’s plans when children go missing from care. They search for children and work with professionals to ensure that children return home safely. Staff have also assessed and supported the friends of one child to visit the home so they can spend time together gaming and playing pool. This has led to a reduction in children going missing from care.

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

Temporary staff have only been used on a few occasions. These staff have worked alongside permanent staff to retain consistency of care for children. All staff who work in the home are subject to the required checks. This helps to make sure that children are cared for by safe adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced and dedicated manager. They are supported by a deputy manager. Together, they have high expectations for the home and the care children receive. Staff said the manager is supportive and always available.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

For the most part, the manager works effectively with relevant professionals to support children’s progress. They have advocated for one child when they did not agree with the social worker’s decision to move the child out of the home at short Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 5 notice. However, on one occasion, the manager did not advocate for a child with additional needs, who moved into the home very quickly and who may have benefited from a longer transition period. This would have also enabled professionals to observe the child’s interaction with the other children in the home. Despite the child settling in well initially, their behaviours have become increasingly challenging. The child has targeted the other two children with aggression. This has been managed well by staff, with increased levels of staffing and supervision. This child is due to leave the home as their individual needs cannot be met safely

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

alongside the other children. The manager has acknowledged this situation could have been managed better with the local authority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervision meetings, which are reflective and supportive. They also have regular team meetings. This enables them to offload, share good practice, reflect and feel supported by their colleagues and the managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there has been a turnover of staff. Leaders and managers have worked hard to understand the reasons for staff leaving in order to improve staff retention. When new staff join, they have a clear induction and probation period. They have appropriate support from managers and the wider team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a range of face-to-face and online training for staff to support their knowledge and practice. While some of this training is based on the risks to children, staff have not had training around all the specific and additional needs of two children. Managers have equipped staff with enough knowledge and understanding so they can meet the children’s needs until the training can be facilitated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals and family members said managers and staff are great at communicating with them and keeping them updated. This robust partnership working has helped children receive good care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 13 May 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;

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Requirement Due date

and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff’s experience and skills are taken into account when considering new children coming to live at the home, and that children receive well-planned care throughout. 13 May 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets children’s needs. Specifically, bathroom facilities should be repaired and maintained in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 7 they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: 2686902 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Harold Sharp Limited, Unit 5, Brooklands Place, Brooklands Road, Sale M33 3SD

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Inspector

Nurul Kabir, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2686902 9 regulates and inspects 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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