Children's home run by Care and Management Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2596121 1 Registered provider: Care and Management 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

This privately operated children’s home provides care for up to two children who may have experienced early childhood trauma and may exhibit complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection. The child was spoken to.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2024. She is also a registered manager for another home within the organisation.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 20 February 2024

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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: 2596121 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2024 Full Good 08/11/2022 Full Good 14/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2596121 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved into the home and three children have moved out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers support children well when they move into the home. However, they do not fully consider the needs of children when they move out of the home. One child left suddenly and without a plan, making the transition abrupt. The child’s social worker noted that this sudden unplanned move affected the child’s self-esteem and sense of well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child continues to live in the home and is making satisfactory progress. The child talked about the trusting relationships they have with the staff. Positive and caring relationships were observed between the child and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress with their education. When children are waiting for a suitable school placement, the manager advocates for the children, working with external providers to secure a school placement that meets each child’s individual need and styles of learning. The manager and staff work in partnership with education providers to ensure that children’s educational needs are met. They attend parents’ evenings and participate in children’s educational reviews. One education provider said: ‘[Name of child] is doing well, and enjoys school.’ This consistent support helps the child succeed academically.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s health needs are met. Children are supported to attend all of their routine health appointments. Children make good progress in their overall health and well-being. Staff collaborate with the in-house therapeutic team to advocate for assessments of each child’s specific emotional needs, ensuring a tailored approach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a variety of activities and experiences, including going to the cinema and enjoying beach holidays. One child talked excitedly about their dance activity, where they are rehearsing for an upcoming show. These experiences help children build confidence, develop social skills and create positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff understand the importance of promoting children’s relationships with people who are important to them, such as family. Staff are instrumental in supporting children to have family time with their parents and siblings. This approach helps children to maintain connections with people who are significant in their lives .

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

Children form strong relationships with staff, built on trust and affection. One child said about staff: ‘They understand me and help me with everything.’ Children feel safe in the home and trust the staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2596121 4 Safeguarding incidents are dealt with effectively. When incidents occur, staff manage them appropriately and follow the correct safeguarding procedures to ensure that children are kept safe.

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

Allegations and complaints are managed well. The manager takes prompt action, ensuring information is shared quickly with external professionals to avoid delay and ensure that children are protected from harm. Managers inform children of any outcomes. These actions support children to feel confident to raise concerns and help children to feel safe.

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

Staff respond quickly when children go missing from the home. They follow missing- from-home protocols, actively look for the children and work with the local police until children are found. However, when children return home, staff do not consistently speak to them about how they are feeling. This is a missed opportunity to assess children’s emotional well-being and identify any emerging risks. Without these conversations, staff cannot detect new vulnerabilities or any immediate support that may be needed, compromising children’s safety.

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

Staff use a nurturing approach when children hurt themselves. They seek medical advice as needed and provide first aid. Additionally, when necessary, children are referred to specialist health professionals, and strategies are implemented to reduce the chance of further incidents. However, on one occasion, staff did not speak with a child to understand their thoughts and emotions. This does not promote children’s emotional well-being.

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

Physical intervention is only used as a last resort after staff have exhausted all de-escalation techniques. However, following the use of physical intervention, staff are not consistently spoken to following an incident of restraint. This absence of oversight and evaluation means that managers fail to identify whether restraint practices are proportionate, safe or effective and hinders opportunities for staff to learn.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has been in post for six months and is suitably experienced and qualified for the role. An experienced and keen deputy manager supports the manager. Both share the same vision for children to receive good-quality care. Staff say they enjoy working in the home and feel well supported by the management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers’ monitoring and review systems are ineffective. For instance, several gaps were found in recording practices. Children’s incident forms and reports of key-work sessions are not consistently updated, and discussions with staff following incidents are not always recorded. As a result, managers have failed to identify shortfalls in staff practice or take appropriate action to ensure that children are safe and well cared for. This has resulted in failings in consistently delivering high-quality care and ensuring adequate protection for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2596121 5 The home’s independent visitor does not consistently speak to children’s families and professionals during their visits. These are missed opportunities to assess children’s well-being and care environment. This lack of engagement can result in unrecognised risks and overlooked concerns, compromising the quality of care provided in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

In addition, Ofsted has not consistently received copies of the independent person’s reports of their visits to the home. This limits the regulator’s oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The majority of staff hold the required qualification. However, three members of staff have not obtained their qualification in residential childcare within the required time frame. This means that not all staff have been trained to the required level to meet children’s needs. Additionally, not all staff have the required training to support the children’s current needs. The manager has assured immediate action to resolve these issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Team meetings and supervision sessions take place monthly. The manager also ensures that the performance of staff is appraised annually. This helps staff to be supported in their roles and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

External professionals say that communication with the manager and staff is exceptionally good. Inspection report for children’s home: 2596121 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

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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h)) 21 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2596121 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff have the required skills and training to meet each child’s individual needs.

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Requirement Due date

They must ensure that children are given the opportunity to speak about their experiences.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must make good use of monitoring and review systems as resources to help reflect on and improve practice.

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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

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii)) 21 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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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

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or 21 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2596121 8 a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. The relevant date is—

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

in cases not falling within sub-paragraph (a), for 75 years from the child’s date of birth;

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Requirement Due date

securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there; and

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Requirement Due date

in a secure place after the child has ceased to be accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all children’s records are up to date, that records are signed and dated, and that all information recorded is clear and factual. 21 April 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the independent visitor speaks to all the children and parents during visits and submits a copy of their independent report to the regulator within the specified time frame. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36) Inspection report for children’s home: 2596121 9  The registered person should ensure that all staff involved in a physical intervention are spoken to within specified time frame. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 2596121 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care and Management Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Park Business Centre, Wood Lane, Birmingham B24 9QR

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Inspector

Jas Nahar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2596121 11 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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