Children's home run by Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council

Inspection report for children's home: 2739016 1 Registered provider: Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a local authority. It provides short-term residential care for up to three children who have experienced early childhood trauma and have emotional and behavioural needs as a result of these experiences. Children live in the home for up to sixteen weeks, during which time an assessment of their needs is completed to inform future planning decisions.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered in July 2023. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since the home opened and holds a level 5 diploma in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection since registration.

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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: Not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2739016 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there were two children living in the home. Since opening, seven children have moved into the home and five children have moved out. Good planning takes place for children to move into the home, which helps them to settle in quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A comprehensive assessment is completed for all children while they are living at the home. The assessment takes place over a twelve-week period, with regular reviews throughout that time. The information gathered during assessments is shared with the local authority to inform future decisions about children’s care. Where possible, children are supported to return to live with their families. Where this is not possible, the assessments provide valuable information to help identify the best alternative care provision for each child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children form positive relationships with staff thanks to the calm, nurturing care that they provide. Staff have a very good understanding of children’s needs and vulnerabilities, and they are comfortable having discussions with children about sensitive topics. This helps children to feel safe. One child said they can talk to staff about their emotions and feel comfortable to seek support when they self-harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to continue attending their local schools. Children’s attendance is excellent, and there has been a significant improvement for several children. Behavioural issues at school have also been reduced as a result of the children living in a calm, supportive environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend routine health appointments and seek specialist care when needed. One child who had not visited an optician or doctor for a long time now wears glasses and has the dietary supplements needed to keep them healthy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff come from a range of diverse professional backgrounds, which has helped the team meet the very varied needs of the children. One member of staff has experience of working with children at risk of exploitation and has been able to use their connections to forge links with a local organisation that engages vulnerable children in sports and mentoring activities. This creative support helps to improve children’s long-term life chances.

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

Children come to the home with a variety of high-level vulnerabilities. Robust plans support staff to manage the risks, and where necessary, additional safety plans are agreed with other professionals. As a result of the strong risk management practice and child-focused support, children’s risk-taking behaviours have been reduced. Inspection report for children's home: 2739016 3 Staff have very good relationships with other professionals and play an active part in keeping children safe. When children are at risk of exploitation, staff meet regularly with other professionals and share relevant information. Children are supported to understand the risks associated with their behaviour so that they can learn how to keep themselves safe.

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

Staff have a clear understanding of the actions required when children go missing from home. Prompt action is always taken to search for the child and to work with the police to safely return them home. Discussions take place with children after any episodes of going missing from home, which helps staff understand the triggers and, therefore, try to prevent the child from going missing again. The frequency of one child’s missing-from-home episodes has been reduced significantly as a result.

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

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding practice. On several occasions, children have disclosed information of concern, and this is always quickly shared with other professionals. This information not only helps to safeguard children from current harm, but it also helps to inform decisions about their future plans.

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

The home provides a safe environment for children. When children are known to self-harm, they are supported to develop strategies to manage their feelings and avoid hurting themselves. Additional checks are put in place, which have helped to identify items that could be used to cause harm. As a result of additional checks and staff vigilance, children are kept safe from harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has an experienced and qualified manager who has worked at the home since it opened. However, they have been absent from the home for an extended period. The home is currently being managed by two experienced assistant managers, with strong oversight from senior local authority managers. The assistant managers have maintained a high standard of practice in the home and are well respected by staff. This has meant that there has been minimal impact on the children from the manager’s absence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is fully staffed with an experienced and diverse staff team. Staff use their previous experience to benefit the home and the children. One member of staff previously worked in early years and provided valuable insight when two very young siblings were living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well trained to meet children’s needs. The home has strong links with a clinician from the local child and adolescent mental health services who provides additional support to staff on how to manage children’s emotional needs. Due to the nature of the home, there are a high number of admissions, and the need for specialist training is carefully considered for each new child. This ensures that staff have the skills and knowledge to meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have a very clear understanding of their place in the child’s care journey and how the information gained during children’s time at the home can affect their Inspection report for children's home: 2739016 4 future. Managers and staff are ambitious and optimistic for the children and recognise the positive steps forward that they are taking. This helps other professionals to also recognise children’s potential for change in the right, supportive environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have a very good understanding of children’s needs and plans, and they play an active part in multi-agency working and support for children’s families. Feedback from professionals and children’s families was very positive, and the care that the staff provide for children is valued.

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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: 2739016 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, Walsall WS1 1TP

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Inspector

Vicky Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2739016 6 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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