Children's Home run by Resicare Alliance Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2503598 1 Registered provider: Aston Children’s 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. It provides care for up to five children who may have had adverse childhood experiences and have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has the relevant qualification for the role and was registered with Ofsted in October 2023. She was on leave at the time of the inspection.

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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 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: 2503598 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/06/2023 Full Good 24/08/2022 Full Good 05/07/2022 Full Inadequate 29/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2503598 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved into the home and two children have left the home. At the time of this inspection, four children were living in the home. All four children were present during the inspection and spoke with the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive well-planned care when moving into the home. Assessments consider the needs and impact of each child moving in alongside those of the children already living there. This involves consultation with the organisation’s clinical lead. This approach to care planning ensures children have a positive experience of moving into the home, which helps to reduce anxiety and supports children to settle. As a result, one child has lived at his home for four years.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s experiences when moving on from the home are positive. One child moved on because staff were unable to meet their needs while safely supporting the other children. The manager and staff used a multi-agency approach to ensure effective care planning for the child. Managers had ongoing discussions with social workers and other professionals to ensure a suitable home was identified for the child. This practice is child- centred and ensured that the welfare and well-being of the child were paramount.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and senior leaders invest time in developing positive relationships with children which are nurturing and affectionate. Staff use shared interests to develop meaningful relationships with children. For example, one child developed an interest in playing cricket, through attending a cricket match with staff. This child now plays cricket for up to seven hours some days and said he aspires to play professionally when he is older.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care and support which helps them to make progress. Staff use social stories and other resources with one child to overcome their anxieties about spending time with their family. As a result, the child now enjoys quality time with their family. Staff have adapted their approach with another child in relation to a health condition which meant the child would refuse to eat for days. Staff’s commitment and engagement with the child has resulted in the child no longer requiring medical attention regarding their diet.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to express their views, wishes and feelings. They have access to suitably skilled advocates. One child with neurodiverse needs accessed support from their advocate to address issues regarding their school placement. This support has enabled the child to enrol with the most suitable education provision to meet their unique needs. This practice helps children feel valued and assures them their views are important.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop independence skills in line with their individual needs, including those arising from neurodiversity. However, the plans for one child who is approaching 18 are not yet finalised. Independent living plans have not been reviewed since 2022. This Inspection report for children’s home: 2503598 4 delay could affect the progress the child is making and result in a missed opportunity to identify their areas of strengths and challenges. This could mean the child is not receiving support in the areas most needed.

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

Incidents of physical restraint increased after the last inspection. Managers conduct learning reviews on restraint practice in the home. Additional training is completed by staff which provides them with further understanding of the home’s therapeutic approach, to support children with managing their emotions positively. Managers have also used the clinical lead to support with training and the development of staff. The action taken has enabled a change in the culture and practice of the home, which has resulted in a recent reduction in the number of physical interventions.

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

Records of restraint are clear and detailed and show that restraint is only used as a last resort. The manager reviews incidents effectively to determine whether they are safe and proportionate. Children are spoken to without delay to ensure their views of the incident are obtained. On occasions, however, the manager has delayed having discussions with all staff involved in the incidents following incidents of physical intervention. This could result in poor practice not being addressed promptly and cause delays in circumstances where investigations are required.

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

When children raise concerns about staff practice, these are taken seriously and investigated. Managers take prompt action to share the information with social workers and the local authority designated officer. Managers request that social workers speak to children to provide children with the opportunity to share their views with an independent person. Children are updated with the outcome of their concerns, reassuring them that their concerns are taken seriously. There have been occasions when there has been a delay in managers notifying Ofsted of incidents, which reduces the regulator’s oversight.

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

On the rare occasions when children go missing from home, staff take prompt action to locate them. However, staff do not always follow plans for children and have delayed reporting them missing to the police. Although children were not harmed, this leaves children vulnerable to harm. Staff miss opportunities to support children to explore and understand situations when they may be placing themselves and others at risk. This approach does not educate children to enable them to keep themselves safe.

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

Children’s risk assessments are not updated with relevant information This prevents staff from having current information to appropriately support and safeguard children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy manager are supported by a responsible individual who is actively involved in the oversight of the home. The manager is a child-centred practitioner with an ambitious vision for the children and staff team. Managers have introduced a range of processes aimed at upskilling the staff and management team to Inspection report for children’s home: 2503598 5 improve the quality of care to children. This has contributed to the progress and experiences of children and improved safeguarding practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals and family members are extremely positive about the quality of care provided to children. One family member commented that the support from staff and managers has helped their child to make progress. One professional said, ‘[Name of child] is making considerable progress when their background and starting point is considered.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most of the staff team hold the relevant qualifications required for their roles. Managers ensure that staff receive a wide range of training to inform their practice and meet children’s individual and diverse needs. Managers are proactive in developing staff and responding to training needs. This means that children are cared for by a well- supported, highly motivated and skilled staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses a range of monitoring systems to maintain oversight of the home and the quality of care. These systems are mostly effective in ensuring that children are safe and that they are making progress from their starting points. However, there is a disorganised approach to record-keeping in the home. Records of safeguarding incidents, investigations and discussions with professionals are not easily accessible when the manager is not in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person does not consistently seek children’s views as part of external monitoring. The manager and the responsible individual had identified this concern, and strategies have been agreed between the provider and the independent visitor to address this shortfall. Inspection report for children’s home: 2503598 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 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that children’s risk assessments contain relevant information and that staff follow the guidance, specifically in relation to missing-from- home incidents. Children must also be helped to understand the risks that they may face. 29 September 2024

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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— 29 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2503598 7 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that children’s records are accessible when required for the purpose of evaluating safeguarding incidents and care planning for children.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the registered person ensuring that reviewing and monitoring systems are effective, to ensure children are safe and making progress.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

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) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that children received individualised support specific to their needs and development to sufficiently prepare them for independent living. 29 September 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that there is a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people, including Ofsted. Inspection report for children’s home: 2503598 8 (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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: 2503598 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aston Children’s Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 181 Penn Road, Wolverhampton WV3 0EQ

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Inspector

Nateisha Cardoza-Evans, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2503598 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 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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