Children's Home run by Accalia Care Services Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2586947 1 Registered provider: Accalia Care Services Limited 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 July 2020. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is an interim manager in post. She has applied to register with Ofsted and is working towards a suitable qualification.

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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: 2586947 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/06/2023 Full Good 28/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/08/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2586947 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. Five children have left the home since the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children who have left the home have experienced positive endings and have moved on in line with their care plans. However, following a significant incident, one child’s placement ended abruptly, and they did not have a positive ending.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers do not fully consider all children’s needs when making decisions about new children coming to live at the home. This means that children may have a detrimental impact on one another.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The interior of the home is welcoming for children. However, the external area is not well maintained, which takes away from its homely feel.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to support children to maintain relationships with the people who are important to them. This practice results in children feeling connected to important people in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to think about their futures. Children spoke about their future aspirations. This helps them to prepare for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to raise complaints. Timely action is taken by the manager to investigate complaints made by children. Children always receive an outcome informing them of action taken following their complaint. This ensures that children feel listened to and understand that their views are important.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff register children with appropriate health agencies and support them to attend necessary appointments. Staff support children if they find attending appointments difficult and help them to overcome their fears.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to participate in activities which support them to learn about bullying. This increases their awareness and helps them to understand how to develop positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are developing trusting relationships with staff and the manager. Where children have not yet established these relationships, staff work hard to promote and encourage this. Inspection report for children’s home: 2586947 4

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

Children’s plans reflect all known risks and include clear steps for staff to follow to ensure that they understand how to keep children safe. Staff understand how to promote children’s safety. This practice generally keeps children safe when living at the home.

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

Children’s plans are regularly reviewed by the manager. This ensures that staff have up- to-date information about children’s risks and how these should be managed.

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

Shortfalls were found regarding staff practice and staff responses during one incident. Following the incident, despite managers taking appropriate action to address poor practice, children’s welfare and safety were not promoted, which resulted in them spending time in police custody.

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

When children have access to mobile phones and use the internet, staff have relevant knowledge of risks, and their practice keeps children safe. The manager’s practice could be developed in this area to further promote children’s safety.

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

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted. As a result, children understand how to take responsibility for their own behaviour. If consequences are given to the child because of a behaviour, these are appropriate and are clearly explained to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager has applied to register with Ofsted. The manager is child focused. They are motivated to deliver good care, support and protection for children and help staff to achieve this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective monitoring systems to enable them to have oversight of the home and to identify areas for development. A deputy manager and senior workers support the manager in the daily running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is appropriate challenge to placing authorities when necessary, and managers advocate for children in their care. This practice promotes children’s welfare and ensures that there is an accountable approach to care planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Investigations are carried out promptly when concerns are identified about staff’s practice. Managers identify ways to support staff to improve practice. Minor practice errors are identified early, and discussions are held with staff to promote their learning and to avoid more serious issues from developing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment practices are followed to ensure that new staff coming to work at the home are suitable to work with children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2586947 5

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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 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—

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

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)(iii)(iv)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that staff have the necessary skills to safeguard children and that their practice diffuses escalated behaviours and promotes children’s safety. 7 August 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. 7 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2586947 6 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 that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

When considering admitting additional children into the home, the manager must ensure their assessment is comprehensive and fully considers all children’s needs and the impact this may have on children already living at the home.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the manager must ensure that when children leave the home, this is planned and well managed.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets children’s needs. In most cases, children’s homes should be homely, domestic environments. This specifically relates to ensuring that the garden areas are tidy, free from rubbish and well maintained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that practice is robust and promotes children’s safety when they use mobile phones and the internet. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2586947 7

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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: 2586947 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Accalia Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 4a, Space Station, Warstock Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 4ST

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Leaford Williams

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Inspector

Charlotte Love, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2586947 9 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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