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

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1273663 1 Registered provider: Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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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.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a manager since 21 August 2024. A new manager has been appointed, subject to safer recruitment checks being conducted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 11 children were living in the home, all of whom were present during the inspection.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 6 and 7 August 2024.

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This monitoring visit

The inspection resulted in compliance notices being issued in relation to regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. A notice restricting the accommodation of any further children at the home until improvements are made was also issued.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the provider’s adherence to the notice of restriction and the progress made in meeting the requirements of the compliance notice relating to regulation 12 only.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, no children have moved out of the home. The provider has adhered to the notice of restriction and no children have moved into the home.

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This monitoring visit

Relationships between the children and the staff are warm and affectionate. Interactions between the children and staff are positive. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1273663 2 Since the last inspection, improvements have been made to the home environment. Communal areas have been redecorated and soft furnishings, including cushions and pictures, help to create a comfortable and homely feel. All the children’s bedrooms are personalised to their taste. For example, one child’s bedroom has been decorated with their favourite cartoon character. The child was excited to show inspectors their bedroom.

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This monitoring visit

Following the last inspection, some children have made progress with their health. For one child, this has meant a positive weight gain and discharge from specialist health services. However, managers have not ensured that actions from some children’s health appointments are met in a timely manner and that all children’s health plans reflect changes in their health. This means that children’s health needs are not consistently met.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have taken steps to improve the significant gaps in staff training. All staff currently working in the home have now received safeguarding training. Further work to upskill the team is required, as not all staff have received physical intervention training or training focused on children’s individual needs. Managers have plans in place to address this shortfall.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have improved the sharing of information about safeguarding concerns. For example, following an allegation, managers responded appropriately and ensured a referral to the local authority designated officer and other professionals was made to support the child’s safety. Furthermore, managers ensured that Ofsted was notified in a timely manner.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not always respond to children’s behaviour in a way that promotes their well-being. One child has recently experienced two periods of crisis. During these periods, the child was distressed for a significant time as staff were unable to support their complex needs and de-escalation techniques were ineffective. At one of these times, staff called the police for support and the child was handcuffed and taken to the police station. This was emotionally harmful for the child.

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This monitoring visit

Following the incidents, oversight has not been effective and there has been no reflective learning. This hinders managers and staff in developing practice to ensure that children are safe and receive the care that they need.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have not ensured that there is a comprehensive and effective system in place for the reporting, recording and monitoring of safeguarding concerns. As a result, managers do not have essential information to help them understand staff practice and assess whether it is safe and promotes children’s welfare.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed to ensure that children’s individual plans are clear and current in relation to action to take in the event of a fire. For example, during a recent fire drill, two children remained in the home. Staff were unclear about the rationale for this. Steps have been taken to address actions from previous fire risk assessments, Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1273663 3 however, several actions remain outstanding. The fire authority has issued a letter requiring managers to address the shortfalls in a specified timescale.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notice for regulation 12 was not met and has been reissued. The compliance notice for regulation 13 was not reviewed as the due date has not passed. In addition, not all the requirements raised at the last inspection were reviewed as part of this monitoring visit and are restated. These will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2024 Full Inadequate 20/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/05/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1273663 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

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 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)) 20 October 2024 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1273663 5 The registered person must ensure that safeguarding concerns are responded to effectively and that that there is a system in place for reporting, recording and monitoring safeguarding concerns that includes actions and outcomes. Additionally, outstanding actions on the fire risk assessment must be completed and children should have individual personal emergency evacuation plans.

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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

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;

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

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must also ensure that there are sufficient staff and that all staff and managers complete all 20 October 2024 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1273663 6 mandatory training and training in the specific needs of the children living in the home.

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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

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

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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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)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii))

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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. 20 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire.

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (30) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (1)(d) (2)(b)

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Requirement Due date

The register person must ensure that they meet the requirements set out by the fire authority. 24 November 2024 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1273663 7 A person may only manage a children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

the person is of integrity and good character;

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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 2024

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all staff receive practice-related supervision at which important issues are tracked and discussed. 20 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure; 20 October 2024 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1273663 8 a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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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")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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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))

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children’s health is assessed at regular intervals and that each child’s care plan includes an individual health plan setting out the approach that the placing authority will follow and the desired outcomes required to meet the child’s health needs. These outcomes, recorded in the health plan, will be the basis on which the registered person will be expected to Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1273663 9 meet the health needs of the child in their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.4)

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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: 1273663 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Birmingham Children’s Trust Community Interest Company

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Marianne Grandfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1273663 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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