Children's Home run by TS Children Services Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729820 1

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TS Children Services Ltd

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company and is registered to provide care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in January 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2024 and is suitably qualified.

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This monitoring visit

At the full inspection on 8 and 9 April 2024, serious and widespread failures were found in relation to the care and protection of children and the leadership and management of the home. The home was judged to be inadequate and an urgent notice to suspend the home’s registration was issued on 10 April 2024.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to review the provider’s progress in meeting the shortfalls identified at the full inspection and their adherence to the suspension notice.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has adhered to the suspension notice. No children have been admitted and there are no children living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The manager and responsible individual now understand their responsibilities in keeping children safe. They have reviewed children’s risk assessments and ensured that staff have read and understood them. Furthermore, staff have now undertaken training to help them to identify and manage risk, including safeguarding children, self-harm, and online safety. As a result, staff have the skills and understanding to identify and respond to risks.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have reviewed the home’s workforce development and training plan and ensured that staff have completed all their mandatory training. Managers now monitor Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729820 2 staff participation in allocated training and test out their learning. Additionally, face-to- face training in autism, risk management, and the home’s therapeutic model of care has developed staff practice and they now have additional skills to meet the complex care neds of children.

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This monitoring visit

The planning and assessment process for children moving in to the home has improved. The manager has a suitable process and plan to ensure that essential information about potential children for the home is requested, assessed, and planned for against the needs of the children already living there.

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This monitoring visit

The arrangements for safely recruiting staff have improved. All staff recruitment files have been audited and full checks have been undertaken to explore any gaps in employment and references. Managers have done further safer recruitment training to provide further scrutiny over staff recruited into the home.

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This monitoring visit

There is now suitable oversight from the responsible individual. Since the last inspection, she has spent more time supporting the manager and staff, and taken the lead with training and sourcing learning opportunities. The recruitment of a new independent visitor has taken place to provide better challenge and support to the home and improve the quality of care provided to children.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have made improvements to their monitoring systems. They have implemented quality monitoring processes that are linked to the new online recording system. The new system provides the manager greater oversight, such as being notified of any concerns or incidents. The improved monitoring systems will enable managers to identify any shortfalls in the care that children receive and to be proactive in addressing them.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of this visit, Ofsted has lifted the suspension notice. The requirements raised at the full inspection were not reviewed at this visit and will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 8 April 2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729820 3

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(vi)(x))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that education in the home is promoted, and children are supported to engage in and attend education in line with their plans. 26 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. 26 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729820 4 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(c)

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that children’s health needs are met in line with local authority plans, professional advice is sought about children’s health needs, children are provided with a healthy diet, and children are supported with their daily routines to promote their emotional well-being.

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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— that staff—

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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 26 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729820 5 are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; and

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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

The registered provider must ensure that risk assessments and children’s plans are in line with local authority plans and give clear guidance to staff to help them to manage risk. Additionally, the registered provider must ensure that safeguarding procedures are followed in line with the home’s policies, and that safeguarding records are comprehensive and include any actions or outcomes.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child,

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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)(d)€(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that they have sufficient staff, with the skills and experience to meets the children’s needs. They must also ensure that they have effective 26 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729820 6 oversight of the home to improve the quality of care provided in the home.

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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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 26 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b)) 26 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

An individual may only carry on a children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (1) (7)(b)) 26 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 26 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729820 7 that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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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

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; 26 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729820 8 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729820 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: TS Children Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 11 Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV1 4DJ

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Inspector

James Tallis, Social Care Compliance Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729820 10 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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