Children's Home run by HAVEN CARE GROUP LIMITED in Staffordshire

Inspection report children's home: 1251947 1 Registered provider: Haven Care Group

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Full inspection 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 company. The home provides care for up to four children whose adverse childhood experiences and trauma can lead to them exhibiting complex behaviours.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2023 and holds a level 5 qualification.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 1251947 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/07/2023 Full Good 22/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/10/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children's home: 1251947 3

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improvement to be good

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

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improvement to be good

Overall, children are becoming more settled in the home and have made some progress. However, some safeguarding arrangements and leadership and management systems require improvement. Consequently, this has had some impact on children’s overall experiences of living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s education outcomes and experiences vary. One child attends college and their attendance has improved during this academic year. However, two other children have not attended school for a significant period and have missed important learning opportunities. The home’s newly appointed responsible individual has begun to address this and there are now plans to re-integrate both children into full-time education.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved into the home and one child has left. These moves were carefully planned and managed. Before children moved in, staff ensured that the children were provided with important information about the home. In addition, leaders completed visits and took the time to answer children’s questions. This supportive approach provided reassurance to children at a time when they needed it.

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improvement to be good

The staff team is experience, and stable. This helps children to develop positive relationships with the staff who they are beginning to trust. Children said that they ‘like the staff’ and ‘get on well with them.’ As a result, children feel secure in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children’s health needs well. They encourage children to attend health appointments. Furthermore, staff collaborate effectively with professionals to ensure that children have access to therapeutic support which promotes and supports their emotional well-being. Medication is stored safely, and records are kept regarding the administration of medication.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to spend time with their families and friends. This helps the children to develop a sense of belonging and enables them to maintain links to significant people in their lives. Staff also ensure that children’s family members are updated regularly on children’s progress.

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improvement to be good

Staff work hard to ensure that they respond to children’s views and wishes effectively. This is done through structured, good quality key-work sessions and regular children’s meetings. In addition, leaders respond to children in a timely manner when they raise a complaint. This reassurance helps children to feel valued and that they are respected in the home. Inspection report children's home: 1251947 4

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improvement to be good

Overall, children said that they felt safe and happy living in the home. However, shortfalls were identified in some of the home’s safeguarding systems that require improvement.

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding systems and leaders’ responses when children make allegations require improvement. While leaders ensure that the local authority designated officer is notified of all allegations, on one occasion poor communication between leaders led to inaccurate information being shared. Consequently, the officer made a safeguarding decision based on incorrect information. On other occasions, internal investigations completed by leaders are good. Children are spoken to, and staff and children learn from their experiences. However, this approach is not consistent and the registered manager’s systems are disorganised. These shortfalls have the potential to leave children vulnerable, and delay appropriate action being taken to ensure their safety.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the number of missing from home incidents have reduced. However, staff practice to safeguard children at risk of going missing is inconsistent. For example, on one occasion staff did not adequately supervise a child as specified in the child’s plan, and the child went missing from the home. In contrast, on another occasion, staff were proactive and followed a child in distress late at night to keep the child safe and prevent them from going missing. When children are missing, staff are proactive and work with the police to return children safely to the home. These actions reassure children that staff care about their safety.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager does not always monitor the home’s environment effectively. There were some safety hazards identified during the inspection which posed a risk to children who are at risk of injuring themselves. For example, an iron was found in the utility room, and the home’s garden shed was unlocked. This lack of oversight of the environment has the potential to compromise children’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Despite the shortfalls identified above, staff manage many incidents with children well. They use positive approaches to reward and praise children. For example, staff use individualised jars for children to earn points and rewards. Children respond well to this approach, and it improves their confidence and engagement.

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improvement to be good

Children are protected by the organisation’s effective recruitment practices. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. This helps to prevent unsuitable adults working with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is led by a registered manager who has the required qualification to carry out the role. However, the registered manager and the home’s previous responsible individual have not worked well together to lead the home effectively. As a result, the operations manager has made changes and recently taken over as the home’s Inspection report children's home: 1251947 5 responsible individual. A registered manager from a sister home is also providing additional support to the registered manager as a mentor.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Management oversight and review systems require improvement. They do not promote continuous improvements in the quality of care provided to children. Systems in place have failed to identify some shortfalls in the management of allegations and notifications to Ofsted. This lack of oversight coupled with poor organisation does not improve the quality of care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has failed to submit the home’s quality of care review to Ofsted. As a result, the regulator had not received the manager’s review of the home for 12 months. This reduces Ofsted’s oversight of the home between inspections.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Overall, staff training is up to date and relevant to the needs of children living in the home. Team meetings and supervision sessions are starting to be used to provide staff with additional support. However, leaders are not using training, appraisals, and supervision effectively to fully develop staff and to improve their practice. Staff said that they did not feel as supported as they would like to be.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has not ensured that all staff complete the required qualification within the specific timescales to work in the home. Two staff are considerably out of timescales. Consequently, not all staff who care for children are qualified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager ensures that the home is suitably staffed. Staff have worked hard to cover gaps in the home’s rota. In addition, staff retention is good. As a result, children receive care from staff who know and understand their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A strength of the registered manager is his ability to establish positive working relationships with a range of agencies and external professionals. Several professionals said that communication was good, that the registered manager regularly consults them to review children’s risks and that they receive weekly updates. This ensures that appropriate support is in place to encourage children’s progress and help them achieve their potential. Inspection report children's home: 1251947 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff understand children's risk assessments and implement the correct strategies to keep children safe. This includes when identifying and addressing the risks in relation to children who go missing from the home.

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Requirement Due date

This also refers to managers' understanding and implementation of the home's child protection procedures and the action to take when a child is harmed by an adult in a position of trust. 22 May 2024

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child's health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d)) 22 May 2024 Inspection report children's home: 1251947 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that they monitor the home's environment effectively and take action to remove hazards that could potentially pose a risk to children.

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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; and

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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)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders must ensure that they have clear monitoring and review systems in place to identify shortfalls, improve practice and understand the impact the care provided has on children's progress and experiences.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to staff performance in the home and ensuring that the home has suitably skilled staff to work with children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 22 May 2024

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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 22 May 2024 Inspection report children's home: 1251947 8 individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma").

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (3)(b) (4)(a) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff working in the home achieve the appropriate qualification within the required timescales.

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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 22 May 2024 Inspection report children's home: 1251947 9 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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they complete and submit a copy of the home's quality of care review to Ofsted every six months to ensure that the regulator has effective oversight of the home.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are in full-time education while they are of compulsory school age unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time attendance at school unless the child's relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards', page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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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: 1251947 10

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Haven Care Group, Unit 6, Barberry Court, Parkway, Centrum One Hundred, Burton-on-Trent DE14 2UE

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Inspector

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 1251947 11 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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