Children's Home run by Support and Sustain Care Ltd in Wolverhampton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2603750 1 Registered provider: Support and Sustain Care Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a suitably experienced manager in post. The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a new responsible individual. They have submitted their application to register with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 2603750 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/05/2023 Full Good 04/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/06/2022 Full Inadequate 23/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2603750 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, no children have moved in or out of the home. At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. The child was present during the inspection and spoke to the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child spoke positively about their experiences and about the staff who look after them, saying, ‘They are really supportive, they understand me more than I understand myself.’ The child spoke proudly about the progress they have made since living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys a range of activities and experiences. These include horse riding and beach and caravan holidays. The child enjoys martial arts and has made considerable progress, earning various certificates. This has increased the child’s self-esteem and confidence, contributing immensely to their overall well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s physical and emotional health needs are a priority. Staff and managers’ high aspirations for children, coupled with their understanding of the child’s health needs, support the child in making outstanding progress in their overall health and well-being. For example, the child no longer requires weekly counselling sessions due to the significant improvements they have made with their emotional health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has achieved noteworthy educational progress from their starting point. The child spoke about finishing their GCSE exams and is looking forward to receiving their results. An education professional said the child ‘has made brilliant progress from their starting point’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to develop their independence. Staff promote skills such as shopping, budgeting and preparing and cooking simple meals. The child said how much they enjoy cooking, learning about food and all the different spices they can use to season food. These opportunities help the child to take on an appropriate level of responsibility to develop essential skills for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend time with those people who are important to them, such as family and friends. Staff have meaningful conversations with the child about their family time and take them to see their family when appropriate. This approach helps the child to maintain positive relationships with the people who are significant in their lives.

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

There have been no missing-from-home incidents since the last inspection. This is testament to the positive and trusting relationships staff have formed with the child, who said, ‘I feel safe here.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2603750 4 There are very few safeguarding incidents in this home. When incidents do happen, staff manage them appropriately and follow the correct safeguarding procedures to ensure the child’s safety.

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

Staff respond with sensitivity and compassion when the child self-harms. This means that the child knows how to get help if they need it and to seek this from staff.

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

Physical intervention has not been used. This is because staff use alternative ways to help the child regulate their emotions. Restorative conversations encourage the child to communicate their feelings. Staff have developed their skills and understanding of how to make things better for the child when they experience difficult emotions, helping the child to understand behaviours that may present as a risk to them. This work has supported the child to become increasingly safe.

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

Staff support the child to understand their behaviours and successes. The child has a praise book that staff write in daily, noting the child’s achievements, which are celebrated with rewards. For example, the child can go shopping or select a prize of their choice. As a result, positive behaviours are reinforced through restorative practice and praise.

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

In the main, the child’s care plans and risk assessments provide detailed information on their current risks and give guidance to staff to follow. However, the child’s medication plans do not detail the specific actions for staff to take when medication is missed or refused. While this shortfall has not had a detrimental impact on the child, the lack of clarity does not support staff to minimise risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager was not present during the inspection as she was on holiday. An organised deputy manager supports her. The responsible individual and deputy manager were both present throughout the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff say they like working in the home and speak positively about the registered manager’s improvements. One member of staff said, ‘The manager is good, especially with the positive changes she has made since she has been here at the home.’ However, staff do not feel the same way about the senior leadership team, saying they rarely see senior leaders and do not always find them to be supportive. This does not foster positive relationships or promote a healthy working culture. The leadership team recognises this and is implementing measures to improve relationships between them and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive regular supervision and annual appraisal. This supports staff to carry out their roles effectively. However, appraisals do not always identify future opportunities for staff development. This can leave staff feeling undervalued and demotivated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2603750 5 Safe recruitment checks are not always robust. At times, leaders lack professional curiosity regarding applicants’ gaps in employment. For example, employment gaps are not always identified and explored in the recruitment process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders fail to ensure that the monitoring systems in place fully support the development of the home. Systems do not identify shortfalls in staff training and record- keeping. For example, an incident form did not detail the action staff had taken, and the information recorded was not clear and factual. This lack of effective monitoring has the potential to impact on the quality of care received by the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

In addition, Ofsted has not consistently received copies of the independent person’s reports of their visits to the home. This limits the regulator’s oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

External professionals say communication with the manager and staff is exceptionally good. Inspection report for children’s home: 2603750 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 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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(b)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring there are supportive and positive relationships between leaders and staff in the home. Also, all staff must be trained to meet the individual needs of each child placed in the home and the home’s monitoring systems must be effective in identifying any shortfalls. 23 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2603750 7 The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring all children’s records are up to date and that all information recorded is clear and factual. 23 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that the independent visitor’s reports are sent to HMCI. 23 August 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s medication plans include clear guidance for staff to follow when children refuse, miss or are administered an overdose of their prescribed medication. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure good employment practices are maintained as outlined in regulations 31-33. This specifically involves checking new staff’s employment history and obtaining satisfactory explanations for any gaps in employment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that a clear development plan is included in staff’s annual appraisals. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2603750 8

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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: 2603750 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Support and Sustain Care Ltd

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Inspector

Jas Nahar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2603750 10 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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