Children's home run by YCPG Services Ltd in Walsall

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 1 SC392492

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. It is registered to provide care for four children who have social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. Two children spoke with the inspector to share their experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably experienced and registered with Ofsted in June 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified serious concerns in relation to the care and protection of children at this assurance inspection. Serious concerns were identified in relation to the home environment, care planning and the leadership and management of the home.

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Findings from the inspection

As a result of these findings, three compliance notices have been issued under regulation 6, regulation 13 and regulation 14. A notice of restriction of accommodation has also been issued so that no more children can move into the home. This will be kept under review.

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Findings from the inspection

The approach to care planning is weak because children’s complex needs are not always fully considered before they move in. One child has lived in the home for four weeks. They are unsettled, and their behaviours are impacting negatively on the other children. The manager failed to gather enough information about the child’s risks and vulnerabilities to ensure that their needs could be met. This poor oversight has compromised children’s experiences.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have not ensured that staff have the necessary training to meet the individual needs of children. This shortfall has contributed to the children’s needs not being fully understood or met. Some staff say they struggle to manage children’s behaviours, and the home’s workforce development plan does not highlight further staff training needs to ensure delivery of the home’s statement of purpose.

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Findings from the inspection

Risk management needs to be strengthened. Risks that children face are not always assessed. Guidance is not in place to help staff to prevent or manage one child’s unwanted behaviours. A staff member was unsure how to respond to this behaviour.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the home is a welcoming and nurturing place for children to live. The environment remains poor, and the improvements made following the last inspection have not been sustained. Areas of the home are dirty and damaged. For example, there are holes in walls, wallpaper is peeling and lots of paintwork is scuffed. Some furniture in children’s bedrooms is broken. The manager took action to address some immediate health and safety concerns, such as securing windows with restrictors, during the visit to keep children safe.

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Findings from the inspection

When children go missing from home, the manager ensures that the child talks with someone independent from the home about their experiences. However, information is not gathered following those important discussions to strengthen safety plans to protect children.

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Findings from the inspection

Despite challenges, children say they feel safe, they like the staff and they go on holiday. One child spoke positively about their recent holiday to Spain.

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Findings from the inspection

Children have trusted adults they can talk to about any worries, and they know how to make a complaint. When children raise concerns about staff conduct, they are Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 3 listened to. Advice is promptly sought from the local authority designated officer to protect children. This is an improved area of practice.

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Findings from the inspection

The use of physical intervention in the home is fair and proportionate. However, the time of the restraint is not always recorded as required by the regulations.

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Findings from the inspection

Following incidents, staff have important conversations with children, which is encouraging children to develop more socially acceptable behaviour. When consequences are used to promote positive behaviour, they are restorative in nature and help children to gain further understanding of how their behaviour affects others.

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Findings from the inspection

Opportunities for staff reflection following incidents to improve practice have improved. Staff speak positively about this ongoing support from their managers.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff continue to promote the importance of children’s education. This is a strength of the home. Staff understand barriers to learning and support children to explore their interests. For example, one child has started an apprenticeship and is also enrolled on a college course, which is helping them to explore future career options as they prepare for adulthood. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 31/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/01/2023 Full Good 08/07/2021 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 5

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(vii)(viii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home is appropriately furnished, is clean and well maintained. Any damage in the home is repaired promptly.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 18 May 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 6 *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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that monitoring systems are effective in identifying and addressing shortfalls in practice.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have the skills that they need to meet the specific needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the workforce development plan must highlight any further training required by staff to enable delivery of the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 18 May 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. 18 May 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 7 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) 2(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must exercise professional curiosity and gather sufficient information during care planning to promote the safety and welfare of children to ensure that their needs can be met.

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Requirement Due date

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

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

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Requirement Due date

hat 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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that when children return home from being missing, information about the child’s experiences is gathered and used to strengthen safety plans to protect children.

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Requirement Due date

Also, risks that children face must be assessed, and guidance must be in place for staff to help them manage children’s behaviours to keep them safe. In addition, the health and safety of the home must be continually monitored and action 18 May 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 8 taken quickly to make sure that the home is a safe place for children to live.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

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 (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vii)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the time that the measure is used is recorded. 18 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: D M R Services, 102 Queslett Road, Streetley, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham B74 2EZ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Joanna Mountford

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Inspector

Amy Richards, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC392492 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 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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