Children's Home run by Serenity Specialist Care Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2613327 1 Registered provider: Serenity Specialist Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It provides care for up to two children who may experience childhood instability, which may lead to trauma and associated risks.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post, who is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was seen and spoken to as part of the inspection. The other child was not present for the inspection, but was provided with several means of communicating with the inspector during the two days on site.

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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: 7 November 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: 2613327 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/11/2023 Full Good 07/12/2022 Full Good 28/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2613327 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, two children lived at the home. One child has lived at the home for nearly two years, who has remained settled and has started to work towards a plan to move into semi-independent living. One other child has moved into the home since the last inspection and has recently celebrated their one-year anniversary. Effective planning by the management team meant that the child’s needs were carefully considered alongside a thorough assessment of the impact on the child who was already living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have their own independence learning files. These include planned activities that staff will support children to complete as part of their development of their independent living skills. Staff fail to update records, and this means that records for children are not accurate. As a result, managers are not always able to regularly review and monitor the progress children are making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s health needs and record these clearly in their plans. For example, one child requires a detailed care plan in respect of the management of their diabetes. When fluctuations have been identified in the child’s management of this health need, staff escalate this appropriately and support the child to access specialist health provision to make the necessary adaptions to ensure this could be managed to promote independence for the child. The arrangements for the safe storage and administration of medication are safe and effective.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children regularly attend full-time education. The manager acts as an advocate to ensure that the education plans for children are being met. Feedback received from professionals working with the home have commented on how transparent staff are with children about the sharing of information between professionals, and that children always know that conversations will be had, which creates the consistency of support that children receive. Both children have relevant, up-to-date educational plans and focused professional meetings to review progress and next steps.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are regularly sought in respect of how they feel about their care and home environment. The home represents their individual interests through their personalised bedrooms and photographs of important people in their lives. Both children have access to clubs in the local area. One child plays football every weekend, while another child attends rugby, and a local youth group.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their relationships with family and friends and facilitate family time. When one child was unable to meet up with a family member due to illness, staff ensured that a video call was facilitated and regular phone calls to maintain this relationship. Inspection report for children’s home: 2613327 4

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

Staff know children well and understand the specific risks to each individual child. Staff help children to understand and identify risk. This is achieved with regular conversations through direct mentor sessions that take place with children to raise their understanding of risk and how to safely manage this. One child has gradually increased his free time in the community after he attends school, and staff have clear guidance on when welfare checks will be undertaken and how this plan will be reviewed in line with his developmental needs.

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

There have been three recorded missing-from-home periods since the last inspection. Staff manage these incidents effectively and provide appropriate reassurance and welfare checks with children following these incidents. Records are thorough, and information is appropriately shared with external agencies. Information sheets provide a detailed chronology of events leading to incidents. Following one missing-from-home incident, increased restriction of access was put in place. However, this was also put in place for a child where this risk had not been identified. There was no evidence of risk assessments being used to detail why both children required this level of restriction or when such assessments would be reviewed to ensure that the least restrictive practice was being used.

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

There have been no recorded physical interventions since the last inspection. This is because staff use the least restrictive means to reduce the risks to children’s safety.

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

Children know how to raise concerns when required. Managers respond to concerns that are raised promptly and children are supported and kept informed of what will happen next. Children have regular time with family and professionals who make up their support network, providing further advocacy of their wishes and feelings. This is captured clearly in children’s review meetings, and the home creates individual care plans, following each review, that are written in a child friendly way to ensure children understand their care plans.

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

Positive rewards and verbal praise are used to recognise and celebrate children’s achievements. Incentive charts are used. However, there is not always clear management oversight recorded on these records when incentives have not been successful or any explanation of how this will be reviewed with the child and staff. This impacts children’s understanding of their progress and the staff’s ability to implement changes to their reward systems.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff understand children’s individual starting points and what progress looks like for each child. The manager is child focused and is open to reflection and learning from incidents to make sure staff are equipped with the necessary training and guidance to ensure that they are supporting children to reach their full potential. Inspection report for children’s home: 2613327 5 There has been some instability with staffing since the last inspection. Agency staff have been used consistently. However, the manager has, wherever possible, ensured that the same members of agency staff work in the home with the children in order to minimise the impact on them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers engagement with children’s wider systems is strong. Feedback received shows how effective the working relationships are between staff at the home and professionals working with both children. When shortfalls have been identified in respect of communication with an identified professional, the manager has appropriately challenged and escalated this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and can share their views and discuss the needs of the home in regular team meetings. Staff, however, do not consistently receive annual appraisals so as to review their fitness to perform their roles. The manager’s internal audit systems had not identified this gap, resulting in staff not consistently receiving this performance review. Inspection report for children’s home: 2613327 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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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s independent living plans and incentive charts are kept up to date to fully support the development of their independence skills. 28 January 2025

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees–

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Requirements Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year (Regulation 33 (4)(c))

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Requirements Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff have an annual appraisal and that the appraisal audit system accurately reflects the appraisals that have taken place. 28 January 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any limitation placed on children’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises is necessary and proportionate, is kept under review and, if necessary, revised. This specifically relates to the use of heavy- duty window restrictors in all children’s bedrooms. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10). Inspection report for children’s home: 2613327 7

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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: 2613327 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Serenity Specialist Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First Floor, Dominion Court, 43 Station Road, Solihull B91 3RT

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Inspector

Charlotte Tippett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2613327 9 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 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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