Children's home run by Progress Children’s Services Ltd in Wolverhampton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC020859 1 SC020859

p.1

Registered provider: Progress Children’s Services Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in November 2021. It is owned by a private provider and is registered to provide care for up to six children with learning disabilities and associated emotional needs.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since August 2024. However, a new manager has taken over and submitted their application to register with Ofsted.

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 requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 28 November 2023

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC020859 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/11/2023 Full Good 29/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/09/2021 Full Inadequate 12/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC020859 3

p.2

improvement to be good

There were four children living in the home at the time of the inspection, and all four were present and spoken to.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children have made some progress since the previous inspection. However, some safeguarding arrangements and management systems require improvement. As a result, shortfalls in these systems have had some impact on children’s overall experiences of living in the home.

p.3

improvement to be good

Some areas of the home’s environment are homely and welcoming for children. However, there are areas in the home and the garden that require redecoration and maintenance. Consequently, some areas of the home do not provide a nurturing environment for children. Leaders acted during the inspection to address some of these shortfalls.

p.3

improvement to be good

Overall, staff support children’s complex health needs well. Staff understand each child’s individual health needs and ensure that they receive appropriate support. However, medication systems require significant improvement. For example, staff have made mistakes when administering children’s medication. While there has been some learning from these mistakes, a further management audit has identified that medication has recently gone missing from the home, which is a concern. Leaders took action to address these concerns during the inspection.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff develop and share positive relationships with the children. This is because staff understand children’s complex needs well. Staff shared their understanding of children’s communication and sensory needs, safety plans and what children will do if they are anxious and upset. Children said that they were ‘happy’ and ‘safe’.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are supported to spend time with their families when it is safe to do so. Staff ensure that children living far away from their families have regular family time. One parent said that ‘[name of child] has come a long way’ since living at the home ‘to the point that [name of child] is now wanting to see me. That hasn’t happened before’.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children’s education outcomes and attendance are good. Staff promote and support children to attend school and engage with their learning. Some children have made significant progress in their education and attendance since living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020859 4

p.3

improvement to be good

The management team’s decision-making and understanding of safeguarding thresholds are inconsistent. On some occasions, when children have made allegations against staff, managers have shared the relevant information immediately with partner agencies. This means that immediate action is taken and strategies to safeguard children are implemented.

p.4

improvement to be good

In contrast, on one occasion, following an incident in which a child sustained an injury, the management team failed to share concerns with the local authority in a timely manner. In addition, there are delays in seeking children’s feedback following significant incidents. These shortfalls have the potential to compromise children’s safety and well-being.

p.4

improvement to be good

While staff and leaders understand children’s risks, they do not always take effective action to reduce them. For example, the home’s minibus was recently involved in an accident with another vehicle when staff were driving two children to school. However, despite the damage caused, the manager did not take action to have a qualified mechanic determine whether the vehicle was safe to use. This meant that staff continued to travel with children in the vehicle. Leaders took action during the inspection to address this shortfall.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff use physical restraint as a last resort to keep children safe when they become anxious. However, the recordings of incidents require significant improvement. In addition, the management team does not always ensure that staff and children are spoken to. As a result, important learning, and opportunities to reduce the risks to staff and children, are sometimes missed.

p.4

improvement to be good

Despite some of the above shortfalls that require improvement, children said that they feel safe in the home. In addition, significant incidents for some children reduce. There has been one incident when a child has gone missing from the home. Staff responded well, followed the child’s protocols and worked with the police to return the child quickly and safely to the home.

p.4

improvement to be good

Leaders ensure that children are protected by the organisation’s effective recruitment practices. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. This helps to prevent unsuitable adults working with children.

p.4

good

Since the previous inspection, the home has undergone some changes in the leadership team. For example, the registered manager was promoted to become a senior manager, and the deputy manager has been promoted to the home’s manager position. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020859 5 The management team is keen to develop the home and achieve good outcomes for children. However, its leadership systems are not yet consistently effective in making continual improvements to the care that children receive.

p.4

good

Overall, staff complete training that is relevant to the needs of children. Supervision sessions and team meetings are sometimes used to provide staff with additional support. Leaders investigate concerns with staff practice and do take formal action when required. However, some actions identified from investigations are not completed in timescales. Consequently, leaders are not using training and their systems effectively to fully develop staff to improve their practice and ability to manage complex incidents.

p.5

good

Management oversight and monitoring of children’s care require improvement. For example, monitoring systems have failed to identify shortfalls in children’s records and in some safeguarding responses. These shortfalls have the potential to leave children vulnerable.

p.5

good

Leaders ensure that the home is suitably staffed. Staff feel supported and speak positively about the home. However, there have been several changes in the staff team since the last inspection. These changes have led to inconsistencies, which have had some impact on children’s experiences.

p.5

good

Overall, staff and leaders establish positive relationships with children’s parents and professionals. Some feedback received was very good and described how staff meet children’s needs effectively. However, other feedback received raised concerns about the communication systems in the home. In addition, the management team’s working relationship with one parent and one child’s social worker has deteriorated in recent months. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020859 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.6

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(vi)(vii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders must ensure that staff are equipped with the skills to assess children’s risks effectively and take action to reduce risks to children.

p.6

Requirement Due date

This also refers to the management team’s understanding and implementation of safeguarding procedures and the actions to take when managers have identified concerns for the safety and welfare of children. 13 November

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 13 November Inspection report for children’s home: SC020859 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.7

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; and

p.7

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)(a)(c)(f)(h))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the management team must ensure that it has clear monitoring and review systems in place to identify shortfalls, improve practice and understand the impact the home has on children’s progress and experiences.

p.7

Requirement Due date

This also relates to staff performance in the home and ensuring that the home has suitably skilled staff to work with children.

p.7

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.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

p.7

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;

p.7

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; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders must ensure that they implement a robust system in the home that monitors and accounts for the safe storage and administration of medication. They must ensure 13 November Inspection report for children’s home: SC020859 8 that medication is administered to children as prescribed, and that all medication can be accounted for.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

p.8

Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(d))

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the management team must develop and maintain effective professional relationships with children’s parents, social workers and education staff to ensure that children receive consistent care in line with their individual needs.

p.8

Requirement Due date

In addition, leaders must ensure that they review communication systems in the home to ensure that staff have the means to communicate and appropriately share information with the important people involved in children’s lives. 13 November

p.8

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.8

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.8

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

p.8

Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii)) 13 November Inspection report for children’s home: SC020859 9 In particular, the management team should ensure that the home’s environment is well maintained and that work is undertaken to repair damage to areas of the home and garden.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

p.9

Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

p.9

Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

p.9

Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

p.9

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”)—

p.9

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.9

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

p.9

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 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

p.9

Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders must ensure that all incidents requiring physical restraint with children are recorded factually and that they provide a clear overview of the incident.

p.9

Requirement Due date

In addition, the manager must have oversight of incidents requiring physical restraint with children at the home and the need to ensure that staff and children are provided with opportunities to discuss the incidents without delay.

p.9

Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 13 November Inspection report for children’s home: SC020859 10

p.9

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. This relates to staff’s recording of significant incidents with children and ensuring that they clearly explain staff’s actions. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.10

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: SC020859 11

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Progress Children’s Services Ltd

p.11

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Progress House, 127 Millfields Road, Wolverhampton WV4 6JG

p.11

Inspector

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC020859 12 and 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.

p.11

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.12

Inspector

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

p.12

Inspector

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

p.12