Children's Home run by Forte Care Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2618553 1 Registered provider: Forte Care 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

A private company owns the home. The home registered with Ofsted in May 2021 to provide care for one child with emotional and social difficulties. There was one child living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since December 2022 and is suitably qualified for the role.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

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

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 20 September 2023

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2618553 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/09/2023 Full Outstanding 18/10/2022 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2618553 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Since the previous inspection, no children have moved in or out of the home. The home cares for one child, who has lived in the home for just over two years. The child has made significant progress while living in the home across all aspects of their life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The child is achieving exceptionally well in their education and has ambitions to go into higher education, despite previously missing a considerable amount of time in formal education. Staff have supported the child through their exams, where they excelled, and in finding a college course for their chosen career path. The child is happy at college, is on track to achieve their goals and is making friends. Staff are supporting the child to attend university open days. In addition, staff maintain close links with the educational establishments involved so that they can work together in managing any difficulties that might arise.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are aspirational for the child and provide outstanding support to encourage the child to achieve in their chosen interests. The child has excelled in trampolining. Staff support them to compete in events across the country, where they have received numerous medals and trophies. The child also coaches other children in the sport. This helps to improve the child’s confidence and gives them pride in their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The child has developed extremely positive relationships with staff, which means they feel safe and supported. The child has grown in confidence and flourished since coming to live at the home. The child told the inspector that she wants to live there until she becomes an adult.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff work hard to encourage and maintain positive relationships between the child and their family. The home is a long distance from the child’s family. Staff support the child to visit their family in line with the child’s wishes. Staff provide weekly reports and monthly newsletters to the family to help keep them informed. This excellent communication helps to maintain good relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are providing comprehensive support to help the child to develop the skills needed to live independently. Staff have developed a thorough and detailed programme for the child to work through. This includes areas such as using public transport, personal safety and using kitchen equipment. This helps to prepare the child for when they move on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff promote the health and well-being of the child. The child is registered with local health services and attends appointments to help support their physical and emotional needs. The in-house therapists help to guide staff to best support the child’s general well-being. There is a lot of positivity in the home which focuses on the child’s achievements. This has helped to significantly improve the child’s emotional well- being. Inspection report for children’s home: 2618553 4 The home provides a welcoming and nurturing environment. It is maintained to a high standard and has good-quality furnishings. There are photos of the child displayed throughout the home and an attractive mural listing the child’s achievements while they have lived there. The child told the inspector that they like their room, which is personalised with items that are important to them. However, an alarm to the child’s bedroom door gave an institutionalised impression.

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

Staff have an excellent understanding of the child’s risks and vulnerabilities. Risks relating to the child are clearly documented. Staff are adept at identifying situations that may lead to incidents, and they manage any unsafe behaviour well. When incidents do occur, staff take quick and decisive action to protect the child. The child told the inspector, ‘I think they [the staff] know me better than me.’

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

Staff provide clear routines and consistent boundaries that help the child to feel safe and secure. Weekly plans give structure to the week and help the child to prepare for what is ahead of them. When things do not go to plan, staff take time to help the child understand so that they are better able to manage the situation. This helps to reduce any anxieties and helps to make the child feel secure.

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

The extremely positive relationships developed between the child and staff have enabled the child to speak openly when they feel unsafe. This enables staff to work with them to help manage and build their emotional resilience, significantly reducing the risks to the child and increasing their safety.

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

The child told the inspector that they feel safe and are happy living in the home. There have been no incidents of the child going missing from care or making allegations or complaints since the previous inspection, which is a significant achievement. Staff told the inspector that restraint or consequences have not been used or needed. Staff have received training in these areas and have a good understanding of what they would do if needed.

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

When there was a health and safety risk in the home caused by a gas leak, staff took appropriate action to ensure that the child was kept safe while repairs were made. The child did not return to the home until it was declared safe by the engineers.

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

Appropriate recruitment checks are carried out on new staff before they work at the home. This ensures that children are cared for by suitably vetted staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers are aspirational for the child. Feedback from professionals is unanimous in their praise for staff, saying they provide excellent support to the child through education, helping the child to increase their self-confidence and in keeping them safe. As a result, the child has been able to express their wishes about their own Inspection report for children’s home: 2618553 5 future, and this has formed part of their independence planning for when they move on from the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home’s therapeutic model is central to the ethos and practice in the home. The manager and staff have an excellent understanding of the model and successfully implement it, supporting the child to make phenomenal progress in all aspects of her life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has a visible presence in the home and knows the child living there extremely well. When there are delays to the provision of services needed for the child, the manager challenges this effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers maintain outstanding oversight of the home. Regular audits and checks help to highlight any issues that need addressing. Managers embrace a learning culture. For example, when an issue relating to the management of medicines was identified, action was taken to minimise the risk of a similar incident from occurring, and staff were able to learn from it. This helps to keep the child safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are given excellent support and opportunities to learn and develop. Since the previous inspection, two members of staff have progressed to other management roles. As a result, two new staff have been recruited. New staff receive a comprehensive induction programme which helps to prepare them for their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular supervisions and appraisals. These provide opportunities for staff to reflect on their performance, learning and development. This helps to ensure that staff have the guidance and support needed to provide good-quality care for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2618553 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should seek to ensure that the home maintains a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. In particular, the use of door alarms should be reviewed to ensure that they are only used when there is a clear and appropriate rationale to do so. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2618553 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Chinchen

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Inspector

Louise Naylor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2618553 8 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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