Children's Home run by Sherlock Healthcare Services Ltd in Solihull

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 1 Registered provider: Sherlock Healthcare Services Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a small private organisation. Staff provide care for up to seven children who have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently no manager in post. The post has been vacant since 31 October 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspectors evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

This inspection took place following Ofsted being notified of a serious incident involving an injury to one of the children living in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

At the time of the inspection, two children lived at the home.

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Findings from the inspection

With the support of staff, the children are beginning to make some progress from their starting points. For example, children are making steps towards developing more productive daily routines, and there are plans for them to commence a music- based education programme after a significant time away from learning.

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Findings from the inspection

Good partnership working between agencies, including the placing local authority, exploitation services, the youth offending team, education and the police, means that there are plans in place to help understand and reduce the risks posed to the children by exploitation and gang association. Staff understand these plans and act on them to support the children’s safety. However, children’s use of their mobile phones is not monitored by staff. This is a missed opportunity to fully appreciate and plan to reduce any risks that arise from the children being online.

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Findings from the inspection

The children are beginning to form relationships with staff, who provide appropriate support when incidents of concern happen. For example, staff recognised the signs of self-injurious behaviour for one child and were able to respond to them sensitively and promptly because of the good relationships that they had formed with the child. When other serious incidents have happened, children have had the opportunity to talk to staff about them, and staff have used this information to inform risk management strategies.

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Findings from the inspection

Children go missing from the home regularly. Staff work well in partnership with other agencies to try to reduce this. When the children go missing from the home, staff follow the missing-from-care protocols, which include measures such as following the children, searching specific areas and calling the children and their known contacts. The children’s missing-from-home plans are regularly reviewed by the multi-agency team. The relationships that staff have built with the children mean that the children will often keep in contact with staff when they are away from the home and that they will return to the home of their own volition when they have been missing.

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Findings from the inspection

The planning for children to move into the home is not always effective. This is because referral information provided by the local authority is not sufficiently explored to determine if the child’s needs can be met. This means that staff are not always clear about the complexity of children’s needs and how they should meet them when children initially move into the home. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 3 Leaders do not have effective oversight of all aspects of the operation of the home. For example, the quality of care report has not been submitted to the regulator as required.

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Findings from the inspection

The responsible individual and the deputy manager have day-to-day oversight of the management of the home. Two managers have been appointed but did not start in post for personal reasons. Recruitment to the registered manager post remains ongoing.

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Findings from the inspection

The recommendations raised at the last inspection were not explored as part of this assurance inspection and will be reviewed at the next inspection. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/10/2023 Full Good 07/02/2023 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that care is provided in accordance with children’s plans.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to risk management strategies being implemented for children’s use of mobile phones and the internet. 4 April 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; and

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Requirement Due date

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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and 4 April 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 6 plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they consider all referral information when deciding whether a child should come to live in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5)) 4 April 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all consequences are time-limited and that this is clearly recorded and communicated to children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sherlock Healthcare Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 20-22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Hilton Mutariswa

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Inspectors

Chanel Bryant, Social Care Inspector Joanne Humphreys, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2630680 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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