Children's Home run by Care and Management Services Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 1 SC470457 Registered provider: Care and Management Services Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to three children who have complex behaviours as a result of their childhood experiences,

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Information about this children’s home

Three children lived at the home at the time of the inspection. All three children shared their views with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2020, is suitably qualified and was in the home during 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

Date of last inspection: 12 September 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/09/2023 Full Good 28/02/2023 Full Good 06/12/2022 Full Inadequate 14/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children were living in the home at the time of inspection. Since the last inspection, three new children joined the home and two children have left. The children have developed strong attachments to the staff. Children feel safe, supported and their individual needs are understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is a priority in the home. Two of the children are in full-time education. One child has recently joined the home and does not have an education provision due to moving to a new area. The manager has secured a meeting with a vocational-based training provider and is planning for the child to return to learning with minimal disruption to their education. One child has made considerable progress and, with the support of the manager, has progressed back into a mainstream school setting. Professionals who work with the children remarked on their appreciation of the staff team’s commitment to encourage, and support, children to re-engage and return to school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff plan well for children moving into the home. Careful consideration of children’s needs and wishes is central to the process. This helps children and staff to prepare for the child’s move. Planned visits to meet children prior to moving in are completed to help build a relationship and alleviate any anxieties. Children receive a warm welcome and children already living in the home are supported so they can prepare for change.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children leave the home, a similar planned approach is considered. Key-work sessions are delivered to help prepare children with moving on, where possible accompanied visits to new homes are made. Children are encouraged to suggest how they wish to mark leaving the home to promote positive endings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s hobbies and interests are encouraged by staff. Children have different passions, and these are supported by the staff team. The manager identifies a range of clubs and activities for children to attend. The support of activities that are important to children has helped them to thrive and feel valued by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The voice of the child is promoted in the home. Children understand how to make a complaint and know that their opinions are important. House meetings take place every month. Children actively contribute to these meetings, and their involvement is praised by the manager. Children have trusted adults that they can raise concerns with, and there is also a post box for children to share any comments or worries should they not wish to speak directly to a member of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Health and well-being are promoted well by staff. Staff ensure that children lead an active lifestyle. One child is supported to attend the gym and sports clubs. Children in the home are all working towards independence, so an emphasis on education around Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 4 healthy meal choices is promoted to educate children. Support is given to ensure that children attend all routine health appointments. Staff will identify if specialist health services are needed and will assist children to access this support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and well maintained and provides a safe space for children. At the children’s request, the kitchen has been set out to promote independence for the children in the home.

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

Online safety is managed effectively. The manager understands the importance of children being educated and supported so that their online use is safe, and children know how to identify potential risk to protect themselves. A proportionate approach is applied to ensure that children are not restricted from the online world. Consideration regarding children’s age and needs, and how best to manage risk, is made, and appropriate safeguards are applied, such as checks on devices. All staff are trained in internet safety, and online child-specific courses are provided to children.

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

The staff team ensures that responses to missing-from-home episodes are well coordinated, and protocol is followed to support the safe return of children when missing. The manager has strived to build strong relationships with one child’s family and friends to help locate the child when they go missing from home. Friends are encouraged to spend time in the home with the child. As a result, missing-from-home episodes have decreased and communication with the child during time out of the home has improved.

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

While the oversight and coordination of missing-from-home episodes is well managed and children are kept safe, the consistent recording of absences from the home needs further consideration. This will ensure a clear record of occasions when children are returning home late, but not deemed missing.

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

Incidents in the home are rare, and there have been two occasions where physical intervention was required. The use of restraint was proportionate and there was managerial oversight. While recordings were detailed in some areas, information was missing detailing the hold and the duration of the restraint.

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

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted, and a range of rewards and incentives is used to recognise and celebrate achievements. Children feel a sense of pride and recognise the progress they are making.

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

The manager addresses allegations in the home robustly. He follows safeguarding procedures and works with social workers to ensure that children are kept informed, know what is happening and the next steps. This ensures that children know that their concerns and worries are taken seriously. Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A confident and experienced manager leads the home, and he has created a culture within the staff team of high expectations for children. He is ambitious for children and considers ways to promote positive experiences. The introduction of a pet rabbit into the home has supported one child to feel a sense of belonging and has become a significant part of the child’s life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A consistent staff team supports the children in the home. The team has had minimal change since the last inspection. Staff enjoy caring for the children and are well supported to do so. Children are cared for by staff they know and trust and who understand their needs and how best to care for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager forms strong networks with professionals he works in partnership with, to provide bespoke support for all children. Professionals commented that ‘the home provides excellent support’ and the home has ‘gone above and beyond’ to support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision is regular, reflective and child centred. New members of staff are given more frequent support during their probation to facilitate their learning and development while settling into the role. Supervision records are made available to supervisees. The records contain details of the discussions held and actions set to develop learning and practice. Staff also benefit from an annual appraisal, which helps recognise their strengths and areas for future development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A range of monitoring systems is fully implemented. The manager uses these systems to check the progress of the children, staff team and the building. The introduction and implementation of a new in-house computer system is also being developed to enhance the effectiveness of monitoring. While systems are in place, there have been two shortfalls with a considerable delay of several months for the reporting of one notifiable incident and a regulation 45 report. Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to monitoring the service effectively, which includes the timely reporting of notifiable incidents and regulatory reports. 30 November 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

a description of the measure and its duration.

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(vii)) 30 November 2024

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 7 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: SC470457 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care and Management Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Park business centre, Wood Lane, Birmingham B24 9QR

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Inspector

Joanne Hawkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 9 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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