Children's Home run by Monarch Intervention Services Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2624457 1 Registered provider: Monarch Intervention 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

A small private provider owns this home, which Ofsted registered in February 2021. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. There were three children living in the home when the inspection took place.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a suitably qualified and experienced manager who is registered with Ofsted.

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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: 13 December 2023

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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: 2624457 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2023 Full Good 28/06/2022 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2624457 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to children and build relationships based on trust and understanding. Relationships between staff and children are warm and in tune with the children’s needs. Children say that they are happy and feel safe at this home. A child said, ‘They have made me feel like I am part of a family. They have helped me to make something of myself and I’m happy.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from well-planned moves into and out of the home. Moves include visits, and the manager advocates for children to ensure that they have the support that they need. For example, a child moving on from the home was supported to have visits to where they were moving to. The manager has supported a child to speak to an advocate about their views about moving on. Well-planned moves with good support help to ensure that children settle quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that is warm and welcoming. Staff decorate the home for special occasions, and photos of children are displayed. Children are supported to personalise their bedrooms. As a result, children feel a sense of belonging and feel valued in the home. Children say they feel listened to and have what they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise education, and the manager advocates for children to ensure that they have what they need. The manager was instrumental in ensuring that one child’s needs were assessed by professionals. An education professional said the home staff are ‘exceptionally supportive’ of children. Two children access education that meets their needs, and a third child has a paid job through which they have undertaken training. Positive experiences in education and learning support children to develop skills and achieve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are creative about how they capture children’s experiences. Children receive personalised reflection books that staff fill with positive memories. Staff create photobooks of children enjoying activities. Capturing children’s experiences supports them to develop a positive sense of self.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to see people who are important to them. The manager and staff foster positive relationships with children’s families. A child’s parent said that they speak regularly with staff about their child and that they are happy with the care their child receives. They said that their child is happy and safe at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children make progress from their starting points. For some children, this progress is exceptional. For example, as a result of their time at the home, two children have developed the independent skills, emotional regulation and risk understanding that allow them to move to a home where they can be more independent. Professionals recognise the impact the home has had on their children. A social worker said, ‘This is the best care home with which I have ever worked. They are absolutely fantastic.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2624457 4 They said that staff have gone ‘above and beyond’ to nurture and advocate for their child.

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

Children benefit from regular discussions about risk. Focused work helps children to develop an understanding of how to identify and respond to risks. As a result, all children’s risks have reduced over time.

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

Staff understand the steps they need to take when children go missing from care and take appropriate action to find and support them. Staff search for children and talk to children about their experiences when they return. Discussions are child-focused, and the manager completes evaluations after incidents that identify learning. A child who was considered at high risk of going missing from care has not been missing at all since they moved into the home. Incidents are reducing for all children.

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

Staff consult regularly with children on their views about their care. The manager takes action in response to children’s complaints. Children receive a response to their concerns, and responses are timely and well considered. As a result, children feel listened to.

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

Children benefit from the support of a qualified therapist who is regularly at the home. Staff benefit from guidance from the therapist at regular meetings. Meetings are used to develop staff practice and reflect on children’s experiences at the home.

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

Medication processes are clear, and staff complete regular audits of medication. The manager completed a comprehensive investigation when a medication error was identified. There was no harm to the child as a result of the error, and the manager ensured that actions were taken to address the shortfall in practice. Actions from the investigation were clear and promoted staff development. There have been no further errors with medication.

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

Staff complete records of incidents, and children’s plans and risk assessments are regularly updated. However, records are not always clear. For example, staff did not include all the actions that they took in response to an incident that occurred. The manager identified that recording is an area of development for the team, and staff have received further training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and children benefit from an experienced and dedicated management team. A senior leadership team also has good oversight of the home. All leaders and managers know the children, the home and staff well. The manager is aspirational for the types of experiences she wants for children at this home and advocates for them with an exceptional level of passion and dedication. The manager holds children at the centre of her decisions. This helps to ensure that children receive care that is focused to their individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624457 5 The manager forges positive relationships with other professionals. Good partnership working helps to ensure that children’s needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a comprehensive range of training, and training is individualised to children’s needs. Staff say that they find training helpful. As a result, children are supported by staff who understand their roles and responsibilities well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers complete comprehensive investigations into concerns. Investigations have clear and effective actions. As a result, practice is continually improving at this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that staff are safely recruited. The manager puts in place clear risk assessments to show how potential risks have been considered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision. Supervisions are reflective and set clear actions that promote staff development. Staff say that they feel well supported. A staff member commented that the manager is approachable and knowledgeable. They said that this helps to prevent mistakes as they feel confident to ask questions when they are unsure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses creative approaches to engage with and develop staff. For example, a team meeting was used to look at research on team structures. Staff completed an exercise that identified key characteristics from their approach, and they reflected on how their skills complement each other. Supporting staff to recognise each other’s strengths helps to foster a positive team ethos and build on their skills of working together. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624457 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non- stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2624457 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Monarch Intervention Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Glades Festival Way, Festival Park, Stoke-on- Trent, Staffordshire ST1 5SQ

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Inspector

Laura Norcop, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2624457 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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Inspector

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