Children's Home, Residential special school run by Overley Hall Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report for children’s home: SC020558 1 SC020558 Registered provider: Overley Hall Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to 22 children with severe learning disabilities, sensory impairment and autism. The home is situated on the same site as a special school. A separate residential home for young adults, registered with the Care Quality Commission, also operates in the school grounds. The inspectors only inspected the children’s social care provision at this site.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a permanent registered manager at the home, who is experienced and qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 20 children were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 31 October 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC020558 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/10/2023 Full Good 01/11/2022 Full Good 24/08/2022 Full Inadequate 13/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC020558 3

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improvement to be good

All children living in the home were present and seen by inspectors. Children have made some progress and have some good experiences. However, shortfalls in the quality and standard of care have reduced the effectiveness of children’s overall experiences.

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improvement to be good

Children’s plans do not consistently set out how staff should respond to their health needs, for example epilepsy plans. Parental feedback also highlights shortfalls in the standard of personal care for children in relation to their hair and nail care. Managers have taken some action to make improvements by increasing their monitoring of these aspects of children’s care.

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improvement to be good

At times, children’s cultural needs are well supported. For example, one child attends church regularly. However, at other times, there is insufficient planning or a delay in meeting children’s needs. For example, a specialist hairdresser has only recently helped the staff to learn about the day-to-day care of Afro-Caribbean hair.

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improvement to be good

Overall, the home environment is well designed, and children’s bedrooms are pleasant spaces that reflect their interests. Some areas of the home where children spend time are also used by staff as office bases, which detracts from the homely feel. The home has some excellent facilities, such as playground and soft-play areas and a cinema room.

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improvement to be good

Some children have moved on from the home as a natural progression due to them becoming adults. Two children have moved on from the home as their needs could no longer be met. There has been good partnership working with the multi-agency teams to support care planning for children moving on.

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improvement to be good

Staff are skilled at communicating with children, which helps children to make choices and share their feelings. Approaches to this are continually being developed with the support of the home’s therapy team. Social stories help children to learn about routines and changes. For example, when a child’s electronic communication device was broken, they were helped to accept a new one through a visual social story.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff plan a variety of activities for children to enjoy. These include going on holiday, attending a youth club and participating in activities in the home, such as sensory play and craftwork. Staff help children to keep in touch and spend time with the people who are important to them. All children attend school, and this routine is well established at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020558 4

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improvement to be good

Managers take action when safeguarding concerns are identified. However, when children make allegations, there is a lack of professional curiosity. Therefore, adherence to procedures is inconsistent.

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improvement to be good

The number of incidents at the home is very high. Since the previous inspection, 983 incidents have involved the restraint of children. On occasions, staff have used techniques that are not in keeping with approved strategies. Additionally, at times, staff physically intervene too quickly due to a lack of confidence. The high number of restraints children are involved in, and witness to, detracts from their positive experiences at the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s plans do not sufficiently detail the arrangements for the use of surveillance. This is not reviewed to explore if this continues to be the least intrusive approach. For example, it is not clear when bedroom monitors are to be used, so this may impinge on children’s privacy and dignity.

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improvement to be good

Some medication errors have been made at the home. When this happens, managers carry out a thorough investigation and share any learning with the staff. Staff are retrained and reassessed for competency. Despite these actions, during the inspection, a box of medication was seen to have been left in a child’s bedroom.

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improvement to be good

Children have not gone missing from the home, and this risk is considered in their plans. Overall, staff understand children’s risks. Staff provide children with supervision in line with their plans, which helps to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There has been a high staff turnover at the home. The number of new staff reduces the workforce expertise and consistency of care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Monitoring and review systems are not used effectively. For example, children’s care planning meetings are infrequent. Management oversight of children’s incidents is weak. This does not promote staff reflection, and learning is limited. This opportunity is further reduced as staff do not always receive regular supervision. There have been occasions when staff have not had supervision for over three months.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers audit incident records to understand patterns and themes. At times, this feeds into children’s care planning. For example, for one child, removing the time pressures to get to the classroom has reduced the need for staff to physically intervene. However, such action is not always taken in a timely way. There is a lack of aspiration to reduce the use of physical intervention at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Overall, staff receive training that equips them well to meet children’s needs. However, managers are not always proactive in implementing bespoke training. For example, child- Inspection report for children’s home: SC020558 5 specific mental health training has not been provided to staff, despite this being a known need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is sufficiently staffed. Staff who are new to the home, including agency staff, have a good introduction to the home. Recruitment to fill vacancies is an ongoing process, and staff are safely recruited with appropriate checks being carried out.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers recognise some of the shortfalls and have started to take action to change the culture and ethos at the home, through bringing in specialist approaches. However, this is not yet embedded, so the effectiveness cannot be assessed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020558 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

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’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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 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)(b) (2)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff receive good- quality and regular supervision that supports their development.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that all staff receive training that equips them with the knowledge and skills to meet children’s specific needs.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to managers fully understanding children’s experiences living at the home. Monitoring systems and records 31 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC020558 7 must be reviewed and used effectively to review the quality of care and make improvements.

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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

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

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 effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff are competent in using physical intervention and that it is only carried out when necessary and using approved techniques.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that managers provide clear and objective guidance to staff on how to respond in the event of a child making an allegation. In addition, managers must follow the policy and procedure in responding to allegations, including informing the regulator. 31 January 2025

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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 any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; 31 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC020558 8 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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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. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(v)(vii)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that records are accurately completed in sufficient detail and include effective management oversight to inform children’s plans.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, managers must help staff to reflect on physical interventions to identify any learning and to reduce the frequency of interventions where appropriate.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s plans clearly set out the arrangements for any surveillance deemed necessary. These arrangements must be reviewed, and consent must be obtained. 31 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s health plans are informed by the relevant health professionals and provide staff with clear guidance to respond to children’s needs. 31 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC020558 9 In addition, staff must help children to maintain a good standard of personal care.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff are vigilant about the safe storage of medication and follow protocols in place for the administration of medication. 31 January 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children maintain and develop their cultural or religious beliefs as far as practicable and where appropriate. This includes managers being proactive in planning for children’s care to meet their cultural needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.22)

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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: SC020558 10

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Overley Hall Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Overley Hall School, Overley, Telford, Shropshire TF6 5HE

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Inspectors

Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Tara Webb, Social Care Inspector Sonia Sullivan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC020558 11 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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