Children's home run by Support and Sustain Care Ltd

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2730637 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 operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this visit, there were no children living at the home. The three children who had been living at the home at the time of the full inspection have all moved on.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently no registered manager. The registered manager resigned from their role in June 2024 with immediate effect to take on the role of responsible individual. An interim manager has been recruited. Ofsted has yet to receive applications to register from both leaders.

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This monitoring visit

From 2 to 4 July 2024, Ofsted carried out a full inspection of the children’s home. Following the inspection, the home was judged inadequate. Serious and widespread concerns were identified in the care and protection of children and the leadership and management of the home. Compliance notices were issued under regulations 12 and 13. A restriction of accommodation was also imposed. Managers have complied with the restriction of accommodation notice and no children have moved into the home.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to review the organisation’s progress in meeting the steps set out in the compliance notices. The managers have taken appropriate actions to meet some steps in the compliance notices under regulations 12 and 13, however, some steps are still not met. As a result of this visit, compliance notices under regulation 12, the care and protection of children, and regulation 13, the leadership and management of the home, were reissued. A further requirement was Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2730637 2 also raised under regulation 33 and the restriction of accommodation remains in place.

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This monitoring visit

Managers fail to ensure that safeguarding policies are followed effectively, despite having reviewed their safeguarding policy to ensure clear guidance is provided to staff about actions they should take when concerns arise. Managers do not keep clear records of actions taken about safeguarding concerns and an investigation about a concern relating to a member of staff was poor. This could have significant impact on the safety and well-being of children.

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This monitoring visit

The manager reports concerns to social workers, the local authority designated officer and Ofsted when children share concerns and when incidents occur. However, the manager did not take prompt action to ensure safe arrangements were in place to protect children and staff when children made disclosures of harm by staff. As a result of this, a member of staff worked in the home for two full days following disclosures that they had harmed a child. This practice leaves children feeling fearful and that their concerns are not taken seriously.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, there has been a disclosure of harm made by a child following an incident. This resulted in the child’s placing authority making the decision to remove the child from the home. The child’s placing authority did not share the details of the disclosure with the manager. The manager was only informed of the disclosure during this visit.

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This monitoring visit

Managers’ monitoring is inadequate. New monitoring systems have been developed but are not yet effective. For example, records are not available for all debriefs with staff following incidents. On two occasions, the manager decided not to debrief staff who were present during an incident. This does not support the manager to understand practice and make improvements to support the welfare of children.

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This monitoring visit

At times, the manager has not kept a record of actions taken when safeguarding issues arise. For example, discussions with external professionals and safeguarding meetings are not recorded. This limits the opportunity to determine what actions have been taken and the outcome of any discussions with other professionals. This practice is not consistent with an effective safeguarding culture.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not supervise children effectively in line with their care plans. This results in children not having appropriate levels of support during times of crisis. Consequently, children are left in potentially unsafe situations.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s assessments are not up to date and do not accurately reflect their needs and current circumstances. Serious incidents or changes in children’s circumstances are not reflected in documents. This prevents staff from having current information to appropriately support and safeguard children. Managers have now introduced a new risk management plan which is intended to provide clear guidance and capture relevant information about children. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2730637 3 There is an inconsistent approach by managers and staff in supporting children to reflect on their feelings and behaviours after an incident. Some records show meaningful attempts to support children to reflect on their feelings. On other occasions when children do not engage with debriefs, no further attempts are made to support them to reflect and share their views. This limits the opportunity for

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This monitoring visit

children to reflect on their views and their experience of the incident. This also limits the opportunity for children to feel supported to understand and manage their emotions positively.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual is not receiving regular practice-related supervision. This does not enable her to reflect on practice and give her support to develop greater insight and knowledge of her role. The director is actively trying to recruit someone to provide this support to the responsible individual. Despite this, the quality and frequency of supervisions for staff have improved. Managers ensure that supervision is used to reflect on practice, staff well-being and children’s needs and risks. If shortfalls are identified with staff practice, an action plan is included in the management oversight, and this is supplemented with a single-subject supervision.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have refreshed their previous training and have undertaken further training to enable them to support and safeguard children. For example, staff have completed training in de-escalation and non-physical intervention, physical intervention, reporting and recording, and PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy). Managers carry out reflections with staff to assess how they have understood and will implement the training undertaken. This has the potential to support staff to reflect on previous practice and build their confidence in responding to safeguarding concerns.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/07/2024 Full Inadequate 13/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2730637 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 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e)) 30 September Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2730637 5 This specifically relates to ensuring that staff and managers proactively safeguard children. This includes ensuring that all concerns of harm are promptly acted on, risk assessments remain current, with relevant information, and behaviour management is effective in a way that does not cause harm to children. This also relates to ensuring that children are educated to understand and manage risks or manage their behaviours positively.

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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

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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that leaders and managers monitor the home effectively to provide clear oversight of the quality of care provided to the children in their care. 30 September Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2730637 6 The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that the responsible individual receives regular practice-related supervision and has appropriate continuing professional development, in line with the provider’s policy. 30 September

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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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: 2730637 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Support and Sustain Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 27 Morrison Avenue, Wolverhampton WV10 9TZ

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Inspector

Nateisha Cardoza-Evans, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2730637 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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