Children's Home run by Young Birch Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children's home: 2618755 1 Registered provider: Young Birch Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. It is registered to care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in place since October 2021 and is suitably qualified.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2618755 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/08/2023 Full Good 04/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/08/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2618755 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved in, and three children have moved out of the home. At the time of this inspection, two children lived in the home, and both children spoke with the inspectors.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff manage moves into and out of the home well. Children have the opportunity to visit the home before moving in and meet the staff and children living there. This helps children to quickly settle into the home. One child moved out of the home earlier than planned. Staff provided excellent support, sharing information effectively to ensure the child’s needs continued to be met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make certain that children’s health needs are met. They support children to attend all their routine health appointments. Staff quickly identify emerging health needs and facilitate referrals to specialist health services such as therapeutic support. This multi- agency approach ensures that children’s needs are addressed effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is promoted by the manager and staff. When a child found it difficult to access education, the manager and education professionals quickly identified an alternative education provision to meet their needs. Staff and education providers work in partnership to maximise children’s opportunities for academic success.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit greatly from engaging in a range of activities that help them to develop new skills, such as boxing, bowling and attending music school. During the inspection, one child was heard singing and playing the guitar, showcasing their talent and the positive impact of these opportunities on their confidence and creativity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support family time and visits to help children build relationships with people who are important in their lives. One family member said, ‘Staff are always helpful, and my interaction is always positive with them. Staff are open and honest, and they always ask how my family time has been.’ This approach helps children to maintain connections with people who are significant in their lives, as well as demonstrating to children that their families are accepted and valued by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is generally well-maintained, with photos of the children enjoying themselves displayed throughout. Bedrooms are personalised to reflect children’s individuality. However, some areas require attention, such as damaged plaster on bathroom walls, and certain areas of the home lack proper cleanliness. These issues detract from the overall comfort of the home.

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

Children’s risk assessments are detailed and include clear guidance for staff to follow. Inspection report for children's home: 2618755 4 Both children said they like living in the home. One child said, ‘Everything is safe here.’ The other child said, ‘Everything is good; no problem here.’

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

Staff respond quickly when children go missing from home. They follow missing-from- home procedures, search for the children and work with the local police until the children are found. When children return to the home, staff spend time with them, giving them the opportunity to share any worries they have and to discuss their reasons for going missing. Staff use their professional curiosity to understand children’s emerging risks so that they can provide targeted support and reduce the likelihood of children going missing. This proactive approach has been highly effective, as there has only been one missing-from-home incident since the last inspection.

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

Physical interventions rarely take place, and when they do, they are proportionate and the last resort. Following such incidents, children are spoken to, and as a result, they feel they have been listened to and feel safe.

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

Staff carry out room searches of children’s bedrooms when there are concerns that children may be at risk of harm. For example, staff found bladed items in one child’s bedroom. These were removed immediately. Staff supported the child through educational discussions on the dangers of sharp instruments and safety. These actions by staff protect children from harm or injury.

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

Staff manage safeguarding incidents effectively, but the manager does not consistently report serious incidents to Ofsted within the required timeframes. For instance, three safeguarding incidents were reported late, and one incident that required reporting was not reported at all. This failure limits the regulator’s ability to maintain proper oversight of the home and undermines accountability in the home’s commitment to ensuring children’s safety and well-being.

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

The home is led by an experienced manager. He is caring and has high aspirations for the children living in the home. He is supported well by the responsible individual, who shares the same values and ethos.

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

The managers monitoring has been ineffective in identifying shortfalls. For example, significant gaps were found in recording practices, such as incidents not being recorded clearly or concisely. Additionally, the manager has not completed the home’s location assessment thoroughly and has failed to consult with relevant professionals. The manager also does not consistently address or act on recommendations made by the home’s independent visitor following their monthly visits. This lack of oversight has the potential to negatively impact the quality of care for children, leaving their needs unmet and compromising their safety. Furthermore, it limits opportunities to improve staff practice through learning from incidents. Inspection report for children's home: 2618755 5 Staff have completed a varied training programme that is designed to support the individual needs of each child. However, on one occasion, staff called the police without

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

fully using their de-escalation skills, resulting in the child being unnecessarily arrested. This can promote criminalisation and lead to children losing their sense of safety and trust in carers.

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

Leaders and managers have not ensured that recruitment practices are consistently robust. The manager does not always show professional curiosity when completing the required regulatory safer recruitment checks. Failure to do this has the potential to place children at risk by allowing unsuitable staff to be recruited.

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

Staff receive supervision. This helps staff to reflect on their practice and supports their learning and development. One staff member said, ‘I find them really beneficial.’ Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended by the staff team. Staff use this time to reflect on their day-to-day practice and discuss how they can best support the children.

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

The manager and staff team have developed strong relationships with the relevant professionals. One social worker said, ‘Communication is really good.’ This promotes children’s welfare. Inspection report for children's home: 2618755 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

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

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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager managing the home in alignment with the statement of purpose and ensuring that monitoring systems are effective in quickly identifying any shortcomings. 30 December 2024

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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; 30 December 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2618755 7 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(i)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that staff have a clear understanding of their roles, especially in managing children’s behaviours effectively. Staff must ensure that all possible strategies and interventions have been thoroughly explored before seeking support from the police.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that all children’s records are up to date and that all information recorded is clear and factual. 30 December 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that all serious and significant incidents are reported to Ofsted within the required time scale. 30 December 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2618755 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is kept clean and well maintained and any necessary repairs are carried out. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that when recruiting new staff, all employment checks are completed in line with the requirements of Schedule 2. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person must consult and take into account the views of each relevant person when reviewing the home and its location. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: 2618755 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Young Birch Ltd, 4 Station Avenue, Tile Hill Coventry CV4 9HS

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Inspectors

Jas Nahar, Social Care Inspector Nateisha Cardoza-Evans, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2618755 10 regulates 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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