Children's Home run by Mahogany Strides Care Services in Worcestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 1 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by an individual. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who may have had adverse childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management and registered with Ofsted in March 2023.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A strength of this home is the positive and trusting relationships staff have formed with children. Children are complimentary about the home and the care they receive from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know children well and have developed individualised plans which support a consistent approach to caring for them. Children seek out staff support and help when they are struggling, knowing they will not be judged or blamed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to seek support from other professionals. Children have access to therapy from a clinical psychologist and advice and counselling from substance misuse professionals. One child who was reluctant to access any support has recognised that they need help. They are taking the first steps towards seeing the clinical psychologist to help support their health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At times, children have attended education and demonstrated aspiration about their future. The manager has advocated for children when education provisions have been reluctant to make changes to support children’s attendance. Staff have been proactive in encouraging children to attend education. However, attendance has been limited due to children being reluctant to engage. Staff continue to encourage and offer learning opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

On one occasion it was necessary for a child to move from the home. Staff went with the child to visit placements and advocated for them when they felt one was not suitable. This meant the child moved to another home which was more suitable. Staff made sure the child left on a positive note, having a meal with staff and staff taking them to their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is homely, and children can personalise their bedrooms. Recent refurbishment of the bathroom and adding an additional shower room has enhanced the home environment. However, the lounge continues to be used as a bedroom for staff at night. While this is not having a direct impact on children at present, it does restrict access to some parts of their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to experience a range of social opportunities. This includes going to the gym, boxing, going out for meals, shopping, cinema and, for one child, going on a mini-break.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are able to keep in touch with family and friends through their phones. In addition, staff take children to visit those who are important to them no matter the distance. Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 4

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

Staff use their knowledge of children to develop plans which identify risks. Staff understand risks and provide support and guidance to children to help them learn about risks and how to keep themselves safe. On one occasion, when staff could no longer keep a child safe due to risks they were subject to, the manager served notice and the placement ended.

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

Children have, on occasion, been reported as missing from home. Staff are proactive in trying to find the child as soon as possible. The manager liaises with other professionals and families to devise plans which aim to reduce missing-from-home incidents. For one child, who was going missing from home often, a plan has been agreed with the child, placing authority and parents. As a result, staff know where the child is when not at the home.

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

There is good multi-agency working at the home. When staff have new information about risks to children in the community, this is shared with the relevant external professionals. In addition, when the manager was concerned about who children may be associating with, she worked with the police to take steps to safeguard children.

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

Children can raise concerns. The manager listens and acts in reporting and investigating those concerns. Where necessary, the manager takes action to address staff practice when it does not meet expectations. This has included retraining and performance improvement plans.

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

Staff are recruited using safer recruitment practices. However, on occasions the manager has not always gained a reference from the worker’s last employer. This omission may mean important information about a worker’s suitability is not assessed.

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

Fire systems are maintained effectively, with regular checks of them undertaken. However, the home’s fire evacuation plan does not identify that one of the gates in the garden is padlocked. In addition, one child has not taken part in a fire evacuation practice since last autumn. This could mean a child does not fully understand what to do in the event of a fire and delay staff and children exiting the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is an experienced practitioner who is aspirational and passionate about children having the best possible care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children well and uses that knowledge to develop plans which meet their individual needs. Though children may not have always progressed as well as the manager would have liked, they have at times made small steps of progress. Children value the care and support that staff and the manager give them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 5 Staff say they feel well supported by the manager. They receive regular supervision which is reflective and informative. Staff also receive clinical supervision from the home’s clinical psychologist. This enables staff to explore their feelings and reflect further.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a variety of training. This includes bespoke, child-focused training from the home’s clinical psychologist. This has helped develop the staff’s skills and knowledge in caring for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed her monitoring systems and identified areas for improvement. She has used the clinical psychologist to undertake a reflection and learning session involving herself and the team. This was to evaluate lessons learned following a placement breakdown.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A strength of the manager is partnership working. She has developed positive links with other professionals. Equally, she is not afraid to challenge others if she feels children are not getting the services they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals and families is positive. All were complimentary about the care and support provided by the manager and staff team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually assess risks to each child and that there are arrangements in place to protect them. Specifically, that the home’s fire evacuation plan has information about padlocks on exit gates from the garden and children have regular fire evacuation practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. Specifically, that references are obtained from the applicant’s current or last employer. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the design of the home provides staff who sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.26)

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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: 2698072 7

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Inspectors

Debbie Bond, Social Care Inspector Kate Savage, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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