Care for Me Housing

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Care for Me Housing 1 Care for Me Housing

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Registered provider: Care for Me Housing and Support LLP

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service is operated by a private provider. The provider can accommodate up to 42 individuals in 14 shared-living homes that are limited to accommodating looked-after-children and care leavers. The provider operates across the West Midlands. The provider was accommodating 14 children at the time of the visit.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted carried out a full inspection from 14 to 18 October 2024. Serious concerns about children’s safety were identified. Following the inspection, a notice restricting accommodation, preventing new admissions, was issued. A compliance notice relating to the admissions procedures was also issued.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the provider’s compliance with the notice of restriction and to consider the progress made against the compliance notice.

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This monitoring visit

Suitable action has been taken to address the requirements and recommendations set at the last inspection. As a result, the compliance notice is met and Ofsted took the decision to lift the notice of restriction.

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This monitoring visit

Since the full inspection, leaders and managers have worked hard to make improvements to staff practice, recording, systems and processes. Regular management meetings have taken place to monitor progress, including weekly meetings with staff to ensure the implementation of a well-thought-out improvement strategy. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Care for Me Housing 2 No children have been admitted since the full inspection. Leaders and managers have introduced a new referral and admission process. This process now considers children’s referral information and assesses the suitability and compatibility of children living together. The skills of staff are also considered to ensure that children’s needs can be safely met. The provider is confident that this new system will ensure they have a clearer understanding of children’s needs at the point of referral.

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This monitoring visit

Links with partner agencies, including social workers and the police, have been strengthened. This improved collaboration means that information is shared quickly and that decisions can be made about how best to safely support children. This includes prompt referrals to specialist support services, such as mental health practitioners, and means that children receive the help they need in a timely way.

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This monitoring visit

There is a more focused approach to reducing incidents of children going missing. Staff are working with children to understand their reasons for going missing. Where necessary, plans are amended and increased support is put in place. Records relating to incidents of going missing have also improved.

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This monitoring visit

Staff make good use of an online translation service. As a result, children whose first language is not English are helped to understand, contribute to and influence their individual plans.

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This monitoring visit

A process is now in place to ensure that relevant people and agencies, including Ofsted, are kept informed when serious incidents occur. Records of serious incidents are kept and there has been some improvement in quality. This allows leaders and managers to have improved oversight of incidents and ensure that the right action is taken to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

Some improvements have been made to the quality of risk assessments and support plans. However, this is work in progress and further improvements are needed to ensure that new information and required changes in support are captured in these documents.

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This monitoring visit

Physical intervention has been used on one occasion. This was done in the best interests of the children and was proportionate to the incident. However, the record of this incident is not sufficiently detailed and does not provide all the required information. Also, there is no evidence that the manager has reviewed the incident or that children or staff have had the opportunity to reflect and learn.

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This monitoring visit

There has been one complaint made by a child since the last inspection. It is not clear from the record whether the child was consulted or if they were satisfied with the outcome of the complaint.

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This monitoring visit

Some improvements have been made to monitoring systems. However, managers are aware that more work is needed if they are to further improve oversight and continue to promote an improvement agenda. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Care for Me Housing 3 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Care for Me Housing 4

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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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 and the ‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The support standard is that children receive individual and tailored support that meets their needs.

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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

keep the child’s support under review, taking into consideration the plans for support, and relevant plans, to ensure that the child’s needs continue to be met and that the child is kept safe. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(c)) 15 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a behaviour management policy setting out—

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Requirement Due date

the measures of restraint which may be used exceptionally in relation to children in the supported accommodation, bearing in mind that—

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Requirement Due date

restraint of a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing injury to any person, including the child, or serious damage to the property of any person, including the property of the child;

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Requirement Due date

restraint of a child must be necessary and proportionate.

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Requirement Due date

Where there is use of a measure of restraint (“the measure”) of a child in premises used for supported accommodation, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of the measure, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the child; 15 January 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Care for Me Housing 5 details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure, and of any other individual present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment, administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered service manager, or a person who is authorised by the registered service manager to do so (“the authorised person”), has—

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Requirement Due date

signed the record, completed under sub-paragraph (a), to confirm it is accurate;

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Requirement Due date

within five days of the use of the measure, the registered service manager or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure to agree the accuracy of the report. (Regulation 22 (1)(f)(i)(ii) (2)(a)(i)(ii)((iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have practices in place for dealing with complaints and these practices should include children being kept informed and updated. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 46) Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Care for Me Housing 6  The registered person should actively scrutinise the settings and make best use of information from internal monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 53)  All children’s case records must be kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 58)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to follow up information received by Ofsted and/or to ensure that the supported accommodation provider was complying with regulation.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Care for Me Housing 7

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Care for Me Housing and Support LLP

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: 488 Bearwood, Bearwood, Warley, Birmingham B66 4HA

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Nqobile Mpunzi

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Inspectors

Shazana Jamal, Social Care Inspector Alli Tandy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Care for Me Housing 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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