Children's Home run by Eagle Children’s Home in Wolverhampton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC356565 1 SC356565 Registered provider: Eagle Children’s Home Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in March 2008 and is privately owned. The organisation has one home.

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to two children who have experienced childhood instability that has resulted in trauma and associated complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is also the director of the organisation and registered with Ofsted in September 2013.

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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

Date of last inspection: 11 January 2023

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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 for children’s home: SC356565 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/01/2023 Full Good 09/03/2022 Full Good 31/07/2019 Full Good 24/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC356565 3

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improvement to be good

There were no children living in this home between 11 July 2023 and 21 August 2023 and between 27 September 2023 and 11 January 2024.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved into the home and three children have left the home. At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences of moving on, and the support they receive, are variable. Two children moved on in a positive way. One child was supported by staff with a reunification plan to move back to his family home, and another child successfully moved into supported accommodation. However, one child did not have a positive ending and moved out in an unplanned way because the registered manager and staff could not keep them safe and protect them from harm.

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improvement to be good

Planning for children to move to the home, and their experiences of this, has been variable. Managers have worked with children’s social workers to support their understanding of children’s needs and staff meet with children in advance of them moving. However, assessments of children’s needs have not been completed in line with the home’s statement of purpose. This has meant that some areas of need for children have not always been fully explored, limiting how effectively managers can consider whether staff have the necessary skills to meet these needs. Following the breakdown of one child’s placement, learning was undertaken by managers with the staff team. However, this was not subsequently all put into practice when planning for another child to move to the home.

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improvement to be good

The support that children receive with their education is varied. Although two children received support and guidance from staff and successfully completed their education, one child does not attend full-time education. The registered manager said that this is because they are in the process of finding a suitable education placement near to the home.

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improvement to be good

A key strength of the registered manager and staff is the way they support children to spend good-quality time with their families. This ensures that children continue to maintain relationships with those people who are significant to them.

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improvement to be good

The child currently living in the home said that he is safe and can speak to the staff if he is worried or concerned. Staff ensure that children enjoy a wide range of activities. This supports children’s overall development.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to attend their routine health appointments. This supports children to have good physical health. Inspection report for children’s home: SC356565 4 Feedback from professionals was positive. Social workers said that they were happy with the care children receive and that the manager and staff understand the needs of the children.

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improvement to be good

The recording of physical intervention is not in line with regulations. Staff do not consistently record the behaviours that led to a physical intervention and the details of steps taken to avoid this measure. In addition, children and staff do not receive debriefs and the registered manager does not look at ways to minimise or prevent such incidents from happening as part of her management oversight. This means that records do not accurately show why the use of physical intervention is needed.

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improvement to be good

During one isolated incident, staff did not use physical intervention in a proportionate way. One physical intervention resulted in a child being on the ground and staff continued to use physical intervention on the floor. The registered manager failed to consider the appropriateness of this measure or whether it was in line with the child’s behaviour management plan. This does not demonstrate that staff use physical intervention in line with the organisation’s internal behaviour management policy.

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improvement to be good

The safer recruitment and vetting checks carried out by the registered manager require improvement. For example, employment references have not been sought from previous childcare employment, and reasons for leaving and gaps in employment have not been explored. In addition, overseas checks are not always sought. This means that some staff have not undergone the suitable safer recruitment and vetting checks required to care for vulnerable children.

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improvement to be good

One child shared an allegation of harm, and the registered manager did not capture the actions taken in line with the organisation’s internal safeguarding policy. This means that records do not help children to understand what the registered manager and staff did to protect them from harm.

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improvement to be good

In the main, staff understand the children’s risks and behaviours, and the actions they need to take to keep children safe. However, the registered manager does not capture learning following incidents to inform future practice. This means that children’s risk and behaviour management plans do not provide staff with up-to-date guidance in keeping children safe.

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good

The registered manager is child-focused and wants the best for children. The registered manager is supported by an equally committed staff team and responsible individual, who want to provide children with a better quality of life. However, there are areas of the leadership and management of the home that require improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: SC356565 5 The registered manager covers shifts in the home. This places additional demand on her time, which limits her effectiveness in carrying out her day-to-day management tasks. The registered manager is aware of this shortfall and has appointed staff to ensure that she is not required to cover shifts.

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good

The registered manager and responsible individual’s monitoring of the quality of care requires improvement. The responsible individual has inconsistent management oversight of the quality of care provided to children, staff practice and the registered manager. As a result, the responsible individual’s understanding of the action taken by the registered manager when they address shortfalls is limited.

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good

Staff do not receive supervision that promotes their continuous professional development. For example, one staff member received three supervision sessions last year. In addition, the registered manager does not always record when she provides supervision to staff. This demonstrates that management oversight of staff practice is weak.

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good

Staff do not receive practical face-to-face training in how to use physical intervention holds safely. This is because staff undertake online physical intervention training. One staff member completed face-to-face physical intervention training seven years ago. The registered manager has not reassured herself that staff are using physical intervention in a consistent way. In addition, staff and the responsible individual could not confidently explain the organisation’s approved model of physical intervention. This does not provide Ofsted with reassurance that staff have received adequate training and understand how to use physical intervention safely. Inspection report for children’s home: SC356565 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, The 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 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that management oversight captures learning to inform future practice in relation to the quality of care provided to children and staff practice. This includes staff receiving appropriate training in physical intervention. 31 March 2024

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended 31 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC356565 7 that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s planning records accurately reflect their needs and the support provided to them.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff use physical intervention in line with the organisation’s internal behaviour management policy and the child’s behaviour management plan. 31 March 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 individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff have undergone safer recruitment and vetting checks. 31 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff receive supervision that promotes their learning, reflection and development. 31 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC356565 8 The registered person must ensure that—

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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

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 effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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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 (3)(a)(ii)(iv)(v)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that physical intervention records accurately reflect the use of physical intervention with children. 31 March 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all care records accurately reflect the care provided to children and the action taken by the registered person relating to safeguarding concerns shared with or received from professionals. In doing so, the registered manager should ensure that all care records accurately reflect the child’s lived experience at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: SC356565 9 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: SC356565 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Eagle Children’s Home

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Clarence Crosdale

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Inspectors

Sam Dulay-Kainth, Social Care Inspector Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC356565 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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