Children's Home run by Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 1273663 1 Registered provider: Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Birmingham Children’s Trust operates this home. The home has been registered since March 2018. It provides care for up to 12 children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in March 2018.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 11 children were living in the home. There were 10 children present during the inspection. All children were spoken to, and inspectors observed practice in the home during the inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected and their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

p.1

inadequate

Date of last inspection: 20 September 2023

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1273663 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/05/2022 Full Inadequate 11/01/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1273663 3

p.2

inadequate

Managers have failed to fully assess the needs, risks and behaviours of the children who move into the home. They have not considered the impact of new children moving in on those already living at the home. Managers have not ensured that staff have the skills and experience to meet children’s individual needs or arranged additional training when required. In addition, one young person is in the process of moving out of the home, and there has been a lack of action to support and prepare them for adulthood. Shortfalls in care planning do not enable staff to prepare and support children and young people well so that their moves into and on from the home are smooth and successful.

p.3

inadequate

Some children’s health needs are not met. Children’s plans do not contain all the relevant information about children’s health needs. Without this information, staff are unable to help the children to maintain good health. In addition, managers and staff have not sought medical advice for children when needed.

p.3

inadequate

The home environment is not well maintained throughout. Although some areas of the home are comfortable and homely for children, other areas are damaged and in need of repair. Managers have not taken prompt and effective action to address this damage quickly. The majority of children’s bedrooms are personalised, but some are not. One staff member said that there is no point decorating and making the home environment good because children will just damage it again.

p.3

inadequate

Some practice is institutionalised and unnecessary. For example, staff wear clinical gloves while the children are watching television and spending time with them in the sensory room. This is not child-centred practice and does not support children to feel relaxed in their surroundings.

p.3

inadequate

Despite the serious and widespread failures, some children have made progress. Some relationships between the children and the staff are warm, loving and affectionate. Some staff know the children well and are attentive to their needs.

p.3

inadequate

Most children have made good progress in education. For example, children have improved school attendance after a significant period of non-attendance. Consequently, they are now working towards positive educational outcomes.

p.3

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

Repeated failings by managers and staff in responding to safeguarding concerns have left children at risk of harm. For example, following an allegation of harm, a child attended a medical examination. Despite concerns being raised that injuries the Inspection report for children’s home: 1273663 4 child had suffered could be non-accidental, no investigation has been completed to determine how the child was harmed.

p.3

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

Managers and staff do not share information about safeguarding concerns with relevant professionals. This leads to decisions being made in isolation. For example, one child’s parent raised concerns with staff that their child had unexplained bruises. While staff recorded this, they did not report the information to managers. When managers reviewed the information, they too failed to act. Consequently, the child did not receive a medical examination, and no investigation was completed at the time to determine how the child received the injury. The inability of managers and staff to identify and act on signs that a child is at risk of harm at an early stage places children at further risk.

p.4

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

When concerns are identified in respect of staff practice, these are not addressed. For example, an action to increase the frequency of a staff member’s supervision to help to develop their practice has not been completed by managers. When supervision has taken place, practice concerns have not been addressed. The approach of managers has not been robust, as they have sympathised with the staff member that the allegation process is unfair. This approach does not help to raise standards to promote the safety and welfare of children.

p.4

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

Managers do not always notify Ofsted in a timely manner when there are serious incidents. When information has been shared, it has lacked the required detail, and on occasion, information has been shared about the wrong child. As a result, the regulator does not have access to important and accurate information that would enable them to have oversight of what is happening at the home.

p.4

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

Restraint records do not contain detailed information. Sometimes staff and children are not spoken to after a restraint incident to understand and learn from what happened. Managers lack professional curiosity when reviewing incidents and fail to identify areas for practice development. This lack of oversight means that opportunities for learning are not always taken up and that patterns and trends in behaviours and incidents are not identified. As a result, it is not clear whether restraint practice is safe and proportionate.

p.4

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

Actions from the fire risk assessment are still outstanding after several months. Leaders and managers have failed to take effective action to address the shortfalls identified to ensure the safety of children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers fail to take appropriate action to protect and promote children’s welfare when safeguarding matters arise. They have not shown professional curiosity when reviewing incidents and have failed to identify and act on opportunities to challenge others and develop staff practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 1273663 5 Managers do not have effective systems to review the quality of care or to fully understand children’s experiences. Monitoring and oversight are poor, and this compromises children’s safety and welfare. There are significant gaps in managers’ understanding of the strengths and development needs of the home. Managers have failed to meet the requirements from the previous inspection. Managers do not have a plan to address these shortfalls. These failings mean that children’s care continues to be compromised.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are significant gaps in training for both the manager and the staff team. For example, the children have complex needs such as severe learning disabilities and diagnoses of conditions such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, autism and sleep disorders. There are also significant gaps in essential training, including physical intervention and safeguarding. These shortfalls negatively impact on children’s safety, experiences and well-being.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The quality of staff supervision, including the manager’s own supervision, is poor. The manager and some staff do not receive regular supervision. Managers are unable to assess whether staff are making progress and whether they understand their roles and responsibilities in providing care to children and how to keep them safe. When poor practice from staff is not challenged, it places children at further risk of harm. Inspection report for children’s home: 1273663 6

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.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that the environment is well maintained, that children’s bedrooms are personalised and that all actions are completed in a timely manner. The registered person must also ensure that children’s health needs are prioritised. 15 September

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

that staff— 15 September Inspection report for children’s home: 1273663 7 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.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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;

p.7

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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that safeguarding concerns are responded to effectively and that there is a system in place for reporting, recording and monitoring safeguard concerns that includes actions and outcomes. Additionally, outstanding actions on the fire risk assessment must be completed.

p.7

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.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 20 October Inspection report for children’s home: 1273663 8 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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.8

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 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home;

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) (2)(a)(c)(d)(f)(h))

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they have effective systems in place for the oversight of the home to drive improvements in the quality and safety of the care for children. The registered person must also ensure that there are sufficient staff and that all staff and managers are trained in all mandatory training and around specific needs of the children living in the home.

p.8

Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last two inspections and is restated.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.8

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; 20 October Inspection report for children’s home: 1273663 9 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)(b)(ii)(iii))

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children are suitably assessed to live in the home and that children are supported to have a planned move out of the home to support their transition to adulthood.

p.9

Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if—

p.9

Requirement Due date

the person is of integrity and good character;

p.9

Requirement Due date

having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children—

p.9

Requirement Due date

the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children; and

p.9

Requirement Due date

the person is physically and mentally fit to manage the home; and

p.9

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the person in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 28 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 20 October

p.9

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.9

Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

p.9

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

p.9

Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c))

p.9

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all staff receive practice-related supervision where important issues are tracked and discussed. 20 October

p.9

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 15 September Inspection report for children’s home: 1273663 10 within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

p.9

Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

p.10

Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

p.10

Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

p.10

Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

p.10

Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

p.10

Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

p.10

Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

p.10

Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

p.10

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.10

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

p.10

Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

p.10

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that incidents of restraint are in line with Regulation 35 and that professional curiosity is used to ensure that practice is necessary and proportionate.

p.10

Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last two inspections and is restated. Inspection report for children’s home: 1273663 11 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.10

Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

p.11

Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

p.11

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

p.11

Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

p.11

Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

p.11

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

p.11

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that HMCI is notified of serious events without delay and that accurate records of events are included. 15 September

p.11

Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

p.11

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: 1273663 12

p.11

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company

p.12

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Avenue Road, Aston, Birmingham B6 4DU

p.12

Inspectors

Marianne Grandfield, Social Care Inspector Louise Naylor, Social Care Inspector Alison Smale, His Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1273663 13 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.

p.12

Inspectors

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.13

Inspectors

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

p.13

Inspectors

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

p.13