Children's Home run by Berry Gifford Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 1 Registered provider: Berry Gifford Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A private company operates this home. It is registered to provide care for three children who have experienced childhood instability which has led to trauma and associated complex behaviours.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home. The child spoke with the inspector.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since December 2022. A manager joined in October 2023 and applied to register with Ofsted. However, they left the organisation on 19 July 2024 and withdrew their application.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 2

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

A full inspection, on 30 April and 1 May 2024, resulted in the home being judged inadequate. Following that inspection, Ofsted served a compliance notice in respect of the leadership and management of the home and a notice to restrict accommodation.

p.2

Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit took place on 26 June 2024. Ofsted determined that the provider had made sufficient progress to meet the steps set out in the compliance notice. The grounds for the notice to restrict accommodation no longer applied, so this was lifted. This inspection is the first since the compliance notice and the restriction of accommodation were lifted. Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 3

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/05/2024 Full Inadequate 12/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/06/2023 Full Inadequate 14/06/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 4

p.3

improvement to be good

No children have moved in or out of the home since the last inspection. Shortfalls in how well the child has been kept safe and the absence of a registered manager have negatively affected the child’s experiences and progress.

p.4

improvement to be good

The manager left the home with immediate effect. This has affected the child, who had a good relationship with the manager. This has also affected staff morale. The responsible individual recognises this. They have put measures in place to promote a positive ending for the child and staff with the manager.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff miss opportunities to encourage and support the child to meet aspects of their health needs. The child has refused to attend specialist appointments for their physical health difficulties. Staff do not have conversations with the child to educate them about the importance of attending their appointments. There is also no updated statutory assessment of the child’s health. This means staff have no current guidance to help them promote the child’s overall health and well-being.

p.4

improvement to be good

The home is warm and spacious. The communal areas are comfortable and well used by the child to relax and play games in. The child’s bedroom is personalised, and pictures of the child’s family members brighten up their room. However, this bedroom would benefit from having laminate flooring to meet the child’s health needs. Further to this, the passage to the side of the house needs repairs to be done to the roof. The responsible individual is arranging for these works to be completed over the next few weeks.

p.4

improvement to be good

The child is making good progress with their education. They struggled to attend school regularly but staff encouraged them to complete all their exams. Staff celebrated this by arranging a party to recognise the child’s achievements. The child has enrolled on a college course to pursue their interest in health and social care.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff promote the child’s identity well. The child spends time with their family members, including their siblings. Staff help the child to meet their cultural needs in a variety of ways, including visiting specialist shops to buy hair products and food.

p.4

improvement to be good

There has been an increase in incidents in the home since the last inspection. On one occasion when the child was missing from home, staff searched for them and worked with professionals to ensure the child’s safe return home. However, this incident could have been avoided through staff being more curious and asking the child appropriate questions. The communication between staff was poor, which led to information not being shared in a timely manner or with the relevant members of staff. Further to this, Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 5 the quality of recording of this incident is not robust. There has been a delay in the learning from this incident being shared with staff by the responsible individual. This has been acknowledged.

p.4

improvement to be good

The child’s risk assessments and support plans need improvement. They are long and contain detail that is no longer relevant to the child, and some information is duplicated. This means staff do not always have the most up-to-date information and guidance to keep the child safe and well. There are now plans in place to support staff to improve this area of practice, including giving them additional training.

p.5

improvement to be good

Staff support the child to understand risks in the community and how to make safe decisions. This has led to the child managing a gradual increase of time in the community on their own as part of their independence plan. This equips and prepares the child for the future when they leave the home to live more independently.

p.5

improvement to be good

Allegations against staff are managed promptly. The responsible individual works with professionals to safeguard the child while investigations are completed. This helps the child to feel listened to and valued. The child said they feel safe living in the home.

p.5

improvement to be good

The recruitment of staff is rigorous. All staff who work in the home are subject to all necessary checks. This helps to ensure that the child receives care from safe adults.

p.5

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

The home has not had a registered manager for over 18 months. Interim management arrangements have been put in place to support the home. The responsible individual is available to support the child and staff in the home. The process to recruit a new manager for the home has started. These actions have helped to mitigate some of the impact of the instability of this situation on the child.

p.5

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

The responsible individual has good internal monitoring systems. This enables them to have a better understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. However, this information has not always been used to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

p.5

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

Staff are not up to date with the organisation’s required training programme, including training around risk assessments and recording and reporting, and training in the home’s therapeutic parenting approach. As a result, not all staff are equipped with the key skills to offer good care for the child consistently. This has been identified by the responsible individual who has a clear plan in place to address this.

p.5

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

The therapeutic parenting approach that is set out in the home’s statement of purpose is not always delivered by staff and leaders. Staff do not regularly attend the clinical supervision meetings with the therapist. This means staff do not always have the opportunity to reflect on the child’s evolving needs and vulnerabilities. This hinders the development of staff knowledge and practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 6 Staff have regular supervisions and team meetings. They feel supported by colleagues and the responsible individual. New staff have a planned induction and probation period. This helps them to feel prepared for their role. Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 7

p.5

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.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

p.7

Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

p.7

Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This relates to the registered person ensuring that they have the child’s updated health assessment on file. In addition, that the child is supported to understand the importance of attending specialist health appointments. 30 September 2024

p.7

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

p.7

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 30 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 8 take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(vi))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff are professionally curious, keep risk assessments and support plans up to date and take steps needed to reduce risks to children. Also, that leaders and managers share learning from incidents with staff in a timely manner.

p.8

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—

p.8

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.8

Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos;

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.8

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)(c)(h)) 30 September 2024

p.8

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all areas of the home are well maintained. In particular, that laminate flooring is fitted in the child’s bedroom. Also, that repairs to the roof in the passage area to the side of the house are completed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 9

p.8

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: 2541440 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Berry Gifford Limited

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Berry Gifford Ltd, Unit 2, Mercury Park, Amber Close, Tamworth B77 4RP

p.10

Inspector

Nurul Kabir, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 11 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.

p.10

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.11