Children's home run by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2786471 1 Registered provider: Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by the local authority. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a new manager who submitted their application to register with Ofsted on 3 February 2025.

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This monitoring visit

At the full inspection on 3 and 4 October 2024, the home was judged inadequate. The inspector found serious and widespread failures in relation to keeping children safe. They also found that the leadership and management of the home were poor. The registered manager was absent from work due to sickness. The responsible individual was not present during the inspection.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of the full inspection, Ofsted imposed a condition on the home’s registration. This meant that the provider had to give Ofsted three months’ notice of its intention to welcome new children into the home. The reasons for this were:

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This monitoring visit

 Concerns about the leadership and management arrangements.  There was an insufficient number of staff and a lack of untrained staff to operate the home safely.  The provider had no plans for children to move into the home for a period of time.  Managers planned to review the failings before accepting children into the home.

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This monitoring visit

The provider notified Ofsted on 16 January 2025 of its intention to admit children. The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the home’s readiness to open. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2786471 2 The home has a new qualified and experienced responsible individual and a new manager.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have undertaken a full learning review of the failures identified at the previous inspection, which demonstrates lessons learned. They have also introduced improved monitoring systems. This will enable them to review the quality of care children receive and their progress. They have also recruited a new independent visitor.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have reviewed the home’s admissions process. This includes carrying out and implementing various risk assessments before and after children move in and considering staff skills and abilities. The home’s clinical team and senior management will also have oversight.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have reviewed the home’s policies and procedures. Staff have completed extensive training in relation to safeguarding and reporting and recording, in addition to how they will safely support children’s behaviour. Staff have also gone through the home’s induction process again.

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This monitoring visit

All staff recruitment files have been reviewed. All managers and staff are safely recruited. However, one staff member is currently suspended. This relates to circumstances outside of the home. The responsible individual has liaised with the local authority designated officer regarding this.

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This monitoring visit

The home has enough staff with the appropriate training to safely meet the needs of one child. Managers do not intend to admit additional children until they have more staff.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of this visit, Ofsted lifted the three-month condition. However, it will continue to monitor the home closely. Some of the requirements made at the last inspection are outside the scope of this visit and are restated. These will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/10/2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2786471 3

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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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that regular consultation with children takes place about their experiences living in the home, including after incidents. The registered person must ensure that children are heard and understood. 9 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2786471 4 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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff protect children from harm. They must understand their roles and responsibilities to protect children and take action to prevent children from being harmed.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children’s risk assessments contain accurate information about known risks and clear guidance for staff to follow to keep children safe. This must include when children spend time with their family and when they spend time in the community.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they speak to all children living in the home after incidents, to ascertain their views, wishes and feelings. They must ensure that children’s 9 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2786471 5 experiences are listened to, and that action is taken to ensure they are adequately supported.

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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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is effective management oversight of the home. They must ensure that the quality of care children receive is 9 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2786471 6 continuously monitored. This includes senior oversight of children’s care plans and how they are being implemented and monitored by the manager and staff.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must develop effective monitoring and review systems. They must ensure that staff understand the quality of care to be provided to children and their experiences and take swift action to address any identified shortfalls.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff receive adequate training which equips them with the skills to meet the needs of the children they care for. They must ensure that the effectiveness of training in staff practice is monitored and evaluated.

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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

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Requirement Due date

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

that arrangements are in place to ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(d)(f)(i)) 9 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2786471 7 In particular, children’s needs must be thoroughly considered before they move into the home, along with the stability and sufficiency of the staff team and their skills.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2786471 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Council House, Manor Square, Solihull B91 3QB

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Inspector

Sarah Berry, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2786471 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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