Children's Home run by CareTech Community Services Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report for children’s home: SC426719 1 SC426719 Registered provider: Caretech community services 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 owned by a large private company. It provides care for up to six children who have physical or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered by Ofsted in May 2021 and holds the required level 5 qualification.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC426719 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/07/2023 Full Good 10/05/2022 Full Good 29/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC426719 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there were six children living in the home, many of whom had lived there for several years. Most of the children are non-verbal and communicate through alternative means. Observations of all children showed that they are happy and have positive relationships with staff who understand their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points because of the sensitive, individualised care that they receive. One child was over reliant on their iPad when they arrived at the home, but now happily interacts with peers and staff in the home. Another child found personal care very distressing, but now enjoys his care routine and likes to spend time in the shower playing with his water toys.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s educational needs are met. Children have excellent attendance and staff have very good relationships with the children’s schools and colleges. Staff have been assertive to challenge placing authorities when difficulties have arisen with school transport, and have been good advocates for the children to reduce any disruption to their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to ensure that children attend health appointments. Some of the children have been very scared of visiting the dentist, or have not attended routine health appointments prior to moving to the home. Staff work with health professionals to arrange familiarisation visits and use social stories to help children understand what to expect, which reduces their anxiety. As a result, children’s health can be better monitored.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff’s relationships with children’s families are a strength of the home. One family member told the inspector how welcome they feel and how staff always keep them up to date. Several family members were seen visiting the home during the inspection. One parent found their child living in the home extremely difficult at first, but now has an excellent relationship with the staff and trusts them to care for their child. They shared that ‘the home is brilliant… they give him the best life’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning decisions are not always clear. While children’s transitions in and out of the home are managed well by staff, the manager does not evidence how they have assessed whether staff have the skills to meet the child’s needs or the impact on other children. Also, the manager was unaware of whether one child had a pathway plan even though they had reached adulthood. This limits the manager’s ability to ensure that children’s needs can be met and that their plans are being followed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is generally warm and welcoming and is designed to take into account the children’s individual needs. Some areas would benefit from redecoration, and mould was found in two of the bathrooms. Although this was being addressed at the time of the inspection, it had been present for some time. Inspection report for children’s home: SC426719 4

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

Staff work well with other professionals to manage children’s needs. They communicate well and share information promptly with teachers, families and social workers to promote children’s safety and well-being.

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

As most of the children are non-verbal, the staff’s skills in interpreting behaviour and being vigilant help them to identify risk and keep children safe. When children are known to display self-injurious behaviour, staff complete observations and body maps several times a day so that they can identify and act on any concerns as quickly as possible.

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

Children are supported to know how to complain if they are not happy. Staff work with advocates when important decisions need to be made. One child has been supported to share his views about what he wants from his adult placement, which has helped him to be involved in decisions about his care.

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

Staff are keen to break down any barriers that a child may experience due to their disability. They take a sensible approach to risk, which enables children to enjoy new experiences and gradually increase their independence in a supported way. On one occasion, two children asked to go on holiday together, and staff completed extensive planning to ensure that this could be achieved safely with appropriate staff support.

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

Positive behaviour is promoted. In most cases, staff use de-escalation techniques effectively to calm situations. On two occasions, the need for staff reflection and learning was quickly addressed by managers. Records of physical interventions sometimes lack detail about how the incidents are managed, and the manager has shown a commitment to making improvements in this area.

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

Staff recruitment of core staff is robust. However, not all checks were held for agency staff members. These were requested from the agency, but were not all supplied by the end of the inspection. It is not clear how managers have satisfied themselves that agency staff are suitable to care for children at the home.

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

Children’s plans are generally very clear about any health-related risks. However, one child has a nut allergy that is not fully understood by staff. As a result, the child’s plan lacks detail of how to manage their needs safely, which hinders staff’s ability to consistently implement safeguards. Despite this, the child has remained healthy and there have been no incidents linked to their allergy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced, stable manager and is overseen by a very experienced responsible individual. Leaders and managers know the children very well and are passionate about enabling them to have the best lives possible. They are well respected by staff, professionals and families. Inspection report for children’s home: SC426719 5 Leaders and managers are keen to learn from practice. Learning reviews are completed when significant incidents occur, and staff are upskilled to ensure that children are always receiving good care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home benefits from a stable team of core staff supported by familiar agency workers when needed. Children all receive a minimum of one-to-one care, but staff are also flexible to support each other and respond to situations as they occur. Staff were observed working collaboratively during a significant behavioural incident, which helped staff feel well supported by colleagues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete a wide range of training, including specialist training where needed. For example, staff have completed training on seizure management and specific feeding methods. Training delivered internally is not recorded anywhere, which makes it difficult to ascertain the full extent of training that staff have received. For example, training in children’s communication methods was delivered by a senior manager, but is not included in the home’s training records. Despite this, observations of interactions in the home demonstrate that staff have developed a range of skills and are able to support the children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager generally uses monitoring systems well, but had failed to address that systems in place to track children’s progress and independence were ineffective due to not being used consistently. In addition, when checks had been delegated to staff to complete, these had not always been done, but this had not been identified. Inspection report for children’s home: SC426719 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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that training records include a full record of all training completed by staff, the home environment is maintained to a good standard and that any repairs are addressed promptly. In addition, to ensure that restraint records are sufficiently detailed. 11 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 11 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC426719 7 that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that thorough assessments are completed to ensure that the staff are able to meet a child’s needs before they are admitted to the home. It also relates to ensuring that pathway plans are in place and being followed for children approaching adulthood. The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all required checks are received for agency workers. 11 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC426719 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. The child’s plans must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s allergies are fully understood and that plans are clear about how they will be managed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. Everyone working at the home must understand their roles and responsibilities and what they are authorised to decide on their own initiative. There should be clear lines of accountability. This specifically relates to ensuring that staff understand their

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Recommendations

responsibility to complete any monitoring checks that are delegated to them, and that the manager retains oversight to ensure that checks are being completed. Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)

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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: SC426719 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Caretech community services limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Metropolitan House, 3 Darke Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspectors

Vicky Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC426719 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: SC426719 11

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