Children's Home run by Forte Care Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children's home: 2652817 1 Registered provider: Forte Care Ltd

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A private company owns the home. The home registered with Ofsted in June 2022 to provide care for up to two children with emotional and social difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There was one child living in the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2652817 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2652817 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living at the home has made good progress since moving in. They were spoken to during the inspection. Since the last inspection, no other children have moved in or out of the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is happy living in the home. They have developed trusting relationships with staff. The child is at ease in the company of staff, who provide calm and consistent support for them. This has helped the child to feel settled.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is highly personalised and child-focused. The child has provided input into the decor throughout the home. Their achievements are displayed and there are a wealth of age-appropriate games and activities for them to enjoy. The home is well maintained. Furnishings are of high quality. This provides the child with a warm and nurturing environment.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child takes part in a range of activities and hobbies that they enjoy. They are proud of their achievements. For example, they shared videos of themselves participating in their chosen sports, and showed awards they had received and crafts they had made for charity. This helps the child to build their self-confidence and have fun.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have supported the child to follow their career aspirations. The child is progressing well in education. Since living at the home, their attendance in education has improved, and they recently sat their GCSE exams. During this time, staff sought additional support to help them in their chosen subjects and to find them a college placement that enabled them to pursue their dreams.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to develop their independence. As the child moves towards adulthood, staff have developed a programme for the child to work on. The programme aims to increase the child’s confidence and independence skills across a range of areas such as finance and budgeting, preparing meals and healthy relationships. This work helps prepare the child to live independently.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported in their health and well-being. The child is registered with local health services and is supported to attend appointments. Professional advice and help are promptly sought in relation to any health concerns. The child enjoys regular exercise and outdoor activities. Staff encourage healthy eating. This helps improve the child’s general health and well-being.

p.3

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

Staff know how to keep the child safe. They understand the child’s risks and behaviours that may lead to harm. Detailed risk assessments help support staff to manage known Inspection report for children's home: 2652817 4 risks. There is guidance in place which staff follow to minimise those risks and which enables them to respond quickly to keep the child safe.

p.3

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

Since the last inspection there have been fewer serious incidents. When they do occur, staff know how to respond. They seek external professional support as needed. Staff talk to the child about incidents, to gain an understanding of how they are feeling and why the incident might have occurred. This helps staff to better manage situations and prevent incidents from occurring.

p.4

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

Clear routines and consistent boundaries in the home help provide the child with structure. There is minimal use of physical interventions and consequences, and positive behaviour is encouraged. Established relationships with staff enable the child to be open with them so that staff can best support them. This helps the child to feel safe.

p.4

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

Staff are clear about their responsibilities if the child goes missing. Staff follow agreed processes and work with partner agencies to help return the child home quickly. Missing- from-home incidents are discussed with the child to understand the reasons for them going missing. This helps staff to understand and mitigate situations where the child may go missing.

p.4

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

Children are cared for by staff who have undergone the necessary recruitment checks. This helps to ensure that only suitably vetted staff are employed to work in the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably qualified and experienced manager leads the home. The staff were all new when the home opened. None of the staff have yet completed their required qualification. However, all staff are in the process of this and are working within the appropriate timescales for completion. There are currently no staff vacancies, following the recent recruitment of two new members of staff. There has been movement of staff between the provider’s homes to support staffing needs. Although this has not negatively impacted on the child’s progress, it could potentially be unsettling.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about the training available to them to help them do their jobs. New members of staff are given a comprehensive induction. When there are specific training needs in relation to the child, the relevant training is made available to ensure staff have the right skills and understanding to support the child. However, there was a lack of clarity about how often training should be done, in particular safeguarding, to ensure that staff’s training remained up to date.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the manager and feel well supported. Staff are empowered and given opportunities to develop in their roles. Staff receive regular supervision sessions and annual appraisals. This enables them to reflect on their performance and identify any learning and development needs, so that they can better support the child at the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2652817 5 The registered manager maintains effective oversight of the home. Monthly audits ensure that any issues relating to the home and the care provided are picked up in a timely way. Daily monitoring checks conducted by staff also help manage potential risks to the child. Staff are given regular opportunities through team meetings to discuss any matters arising so that they can be dealt with quickly.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is ambitious for the child. They collaborate effectively with stakeholders to ensure the child makes progress and is kept safe. The manager provides effective challenge when there are delays in the provision of services. For the child living at the home, the manager has worked hard to ensure that they have the best chance in their education and other aspects of their life as they move towards independence. Inspection report for children's home: 2652817 6

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff receive training in safeguarding and that training is refreshed and recorded in the home’s workforce plan. This specifically relates to the lack of clarity around the required frequency of refresher training in safeguarding for staff, to ensure their knowledge is kept up to date. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12)

p.6

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: 2652817 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 213 Station Road, Stechford, Birmingham B33 8BB

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Chinchen

p.7

Inspector

Louise Naylor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2652817 8 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.7

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8