Children's Home run by Solve Housing Limited in Sandwell

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679735 1 Registered provider: Solve Housing Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home. The children were not spoken with.

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Information about this children’s home

A suitably qualified and experienced manager is in post. She is registered to manage two homes.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place following specific concerns about safer recruitment practices that Ofsted had been notified about.

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This monitoring visit

A full review of the organisation’s safer recruitment practices was completed. Areas of the home’s environment were also looked at.

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This monitoring visit

Requirements made at the last inspection are outside of the scope of this visit. These will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Safer recruitment practices are inadequate, and leaders do not have sufficient oversight of their staff recruitment processes. This is because references for two members of staff were not available for review. The manager took action to address this shortfall. Also, a valid work visa for a third staff member was not obtained until this was highlighted to the manager. In addition, recruitment files are disorganised and contain varying levels of information. While plans are in place to strengthen processes this failure increases the risk of children being cared for by unsuitable adults.

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This monitoring visit

The home’s statement of purpose has not been updated and shared with Ofsted as required to reflect the staff who are working at the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679735 2 Leadership of the service is poor. The manager has not been present in the home for three weeks. In her absence, leaders have not ensured that the home is a welcoming and a nice place for children to live. The home is unclean. Furniture, fixtures and fittings, including the kitchen cupboards and the porch canopy, require attention and repair. This detracts from a nurturing environment that children can be proud of. The manager gave assurances that improvements are planned.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have failed to make sure that the home is a safe place for children to live. Sharp objects, including kitchen knives and scissors, are not securely stored because the locked drawer is broken. This places the children, one of whom is very young, at unnecessary risk of harm. The manager took action to improve safety.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have failed to identify and address poor practice. Children’s access to the toilet in the hallway is unnecessarily restricted because the door is kept locked. There are no assessments to justify this restriction to ensure that it is necessary and proportionate to keep children safe. The manager took action to address this immediately.

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This monitoring visit

The manager will not be at work for six months. Arrangements to cover her planned absence are not yet in place. Therefore, it is not clear who will be responsible for overseeing children’s care and provide leadership and guidance to staff while the manager is away from work. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679735 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679735 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, 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

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

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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received and

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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)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home operates within the approach detailed in its statement of purpose. Specifically, that children are cared for by suitable adults and their care is overseen by a competent manager. 30 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679735 5 The registered person must also ensure that the independent visitor’s assessment of the home is rigorous and that the review of the quality of care is informed by the views of children and others.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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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)(a)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that adults working with children are of good character. In addition, information in relation to schedule 2 checks must be obtained and be available for review. 30 August 2024

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d)) 30 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679735 6 This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that all sharp objects, including kitchen knives and scissors, are stored securely to keep children safe.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 19 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that children can access all areas of their home freely, unless there is a reason their freedom must be restricted to keep them safe. 30 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. 30 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679735 7 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

protect and promote each child's welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(ii)(iv)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that the home is a nice, welcoming place for children to live. In particular, the home is clean and well maintained. In addition, furniture, fixtures and fittings must be in good condition. The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person updating the statement of purpose when changes to staffing occur and sending the updated document to the regulator. 30 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679735 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff supervisions are reflective and help staff develop and improve their practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to review specific concerns.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679735 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Solve Housing Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 3000, 123 Stratford Road, Shirley, Solihull B90 3ND

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Inspectors

Amy Richards, Social Care Inspector Kev Brammer, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679735 10 regulates and inspects 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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