Children's Home run by Progress Children’s Services Ltd in Dudley

Inspection report children's home: 2746884 1 Registered provider: Progress Children's Services Ltd

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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 operated by a private organisation. The home provides care for up to seven children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. There were five children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The home became registered in October 2023, this is the home’s first full inspection.

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Information about this children's home

There is a permanent manager, who became registered in April 2024.

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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: not applicable

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 16 November 2023, Ofsted carried out an assurance inspection and found serious and widespread concerns in leadership and management of the home. A restriction of accommodation notice was issued on 17 November 2023, and this was lifted on 29 January 2024. Inspection report children's home: 2746884 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at this home are having a good experience. Children have benefited from carefully planned introductions to the home. One child moved to live at the home in a very short timescale. However, the manager took prompt action to gather relevant information from a variety of sources. As a result, their care is well planned, and they have settled into the home remarkably well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s individual needs and they provide good-quality care. For example, staff are very attentive to children, they often pre-empt children’s needs and take timely action to address these. Staff provide care to children in a way that promotes their dignity. For example, using discretion around personal care needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s preferred methods of communication and they actively listen to children to gain their views and choices. As a result, children have quickly built trusted relationships with staff. Children are comfortable with staff and value their company.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s cultural needs are well considered in their care planning. For one child this includes Eid celebrations and visiting the Mosque. All children attend school. Staff embed clear routines at the home that promote excellent school attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and meet children’s health needs and prompt action is taken to address urgent health matters. Children have targets that promote development of their independence skills, for example, brushing teeth and bathing. Staff are creative in using resources, for example a social story about menstruation has reduced a child’s anxiety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities at the home and going out to places they enjoy. Staff have a passion for creating fun and enjoyable experiences for children. For example, children’s birthdays are a joyous celebration for the whole home, children share in the excitement. The home successfully hosted an Easter party and welcomed children and staff from other homes to this occasion.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are some important documents missing from children's records. This may inhibit the ability of the staff and managers to fully understand the children’s history and needs.

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

Staff understand the vulnerabilities of children living at the home. They know how to keep children safe. Care is well organised and arranged so that staff understand their roles and duties. Staff supervise children in line with their assessed needs.

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

The staff team has improved their understanding of safeguarding procedures, notably about managing allegations. The manager has used a range of approaches to achieve this, including training, supervisions, team meetings and test and check discussions. Inspection report children's home: 2746884 3 The manager has taken safeguarding concerns seriously. Concerns have been shared appropriately and the manager has been vigilant in securing a clear outcome.

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

Staff help children follow their routines and provide children with clear guidance and boundaries. Positive behaviour is promoted. As a result, children are learning what is expected of them. Staff show curiosity about what children are communicating through their behaviours and actions. For example, identifying that stripping off clothing may relate to a toileting need. Children’s care plans are amended to reflect the responses staff should make.

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

However, managers have not consistently sought input from other professionals to inform children’s care planning for behaviour management. For example, neither the clinician nor the behaviour support trainer have been approached to advise on strategies to manage self-injurious behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is reflective about the journey of the home since registration. The learning taken from the early experiences is evident in the care planning and experiences for the children living at the home. The manager is developing the team leader role, and this enhances leadership and management. Staff feel well supported by managers at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive supervision when they are encouraged to reflect on their practice. Staff receive training in a breadth of topics. They reflect on training in supervision and team meetings, this helps to consolidate their learning and assures managers of staff competence. Arrangements were made to ensure epilepsy training was in place, so staff were confident to meet a child's health needs prior to them moving in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff are working to develop good relationships with children's families and navigate the dynamics associated with this. The manager is responsive to feedback from parents and takes action to resolve any concerns or requests. For example, purchasing extra tables for children to eat meals with visitors in a quiet private space. Complaints are taken seriously at the home and the manager provides a full timely response. The manager ensures that any learning or changes are actioned.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The permanent staff team is gradually increasing in number and vacancies are reducing. The home is supported by casual staff, and staff from other homes. There is some use of agency staff, but this is well managed to mitigate any risks. For example, agency staff work alongside permanent staff and they read children's plans prior to caring for them. Plans for development of the staff team, are not currently documented in a workforce plan. Managers and staff have helped children to settle into the home well. They are aspirational for the progress they can make living at the home. The manager has a clear vision for the home’s continued development. Inspection report children's home: 2746884 4

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child's placing authority effectively in the child's care, in accordance with the child's relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child's needs;

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children's home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that they have a copy of and understand children's Local Authority care plans.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that all relevant professionals have input into children's care planning. 13 September 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there is a workforce plan in place. The plan should detail the necessary management and staffing structure, the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the homes Statement of Purpose. The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff, including the home's manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8) Inspection report children's home: 2746884 5

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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: 2746884 6

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Progress Children's Services Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Progress House, 127 Millfields Road, Wolverhampton WV4 6JG

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Inspectors

Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Kate Savage, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2746884 7 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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