Children's Home run by Child First Residential Ltd in Sandwell

Inspection report for children's home: 2610371 1 Registered provider: Child First Residential Ltd

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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 provides care for up to two children who have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2023 and holds the level 5 qualification in leadership and management for children’s residential care services.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection, who were present and spoken to.

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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: 2610371 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/04/2024 Full Good 04/04/2023 Full Good 16/11/2022 Full Inadequate 25/07/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2610371 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled and are making good progress in all aspects of their lives. One child is now attending full-time education and accessing support where needed. This child has also developed strategies to manage their emotions more positively, which has led to a reduction in incidents. Staff support the other child to manage all aspects of their day-to- day life independently, both in and out of the home, in preparation for independent living. Children feel proud of the progress they have made while living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff and enjoy spending time with them and engaging in activities with them. Both children have planned to go on holiday with staff in the summer holidays. There are warm and nurturing interactions between children and staff. As a result, children feel valued, understood and cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff prioritise gathering children’s views. They work collaboratively with children when making decisions that impact on their day-to-day lives. Children attend weekly meetings, have one-to-one sessions and spend time with the manager individually to share their views. Both children shared positive feedback about their experiences of living at the home. One child said, ‘I can personally say it has made me into a confident and happy person.’ The other said, ‘There is nothing I would change about the home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain good relationships with their families. They go above and beyond to ensure children can spend time with people they care about. For example, staff used their initiative to plan for one child to spend time with family members they have recently made contact with. Also, staff ensure that children spend time with family members who live far away. As a result, children are supported to understand their identity and maintain positive family connections.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the home’s physical environment is well maintained and welcoming. Children’s bedrooms are personalised in line with their tastes and interests. The manager continues to work on improving the home and the garden. However, all windows in the home are fitted with window restrictors, without evidence to support the need for this. This detracts from the homely, nurturing environment that the home strives for.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s risks and manage them well. Risk assessments are thorough and updated regularly. Staff show good insight and understand the protocols in place to keep children safe. To reduce one child’s risks when using the internet, staff do educational work with them and carry out regular checks on their online activity. This supports the child to develop ways of keeping safe online. Inspection report for children's home: 2610371 4 Staff understand children’s needs and are skilled at de-escalating incidents. This approach has meant that there have been no incidents requiring physical restraint with children. One child has difficulty in managing sudden changes to their routine. Staff work closely with them to prepare them for changes. They provide space for the child to use their musical keyboard as a coping strategy and allow them time on their own to reflect. This supportive approach reassures children and helps to prevent significant incidents.

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

Staff recognise and celebrate children’s positive behaviour and achievements in various ways. They have created a positive rewards book for each child, which records their achievements. Also, staff take the time to present children with their rewards. These meaningful actions help children to feel valued, which is vital in supporting them to develop a positive sense of self-worth.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. When they do, staff work effectively to locate them and follow protocols correctly. Children are offered sensitive and nurturing care on their return and direct work is carried out with them to allow for reflection and learning. Consequently, children feel that staff care about their well-being and safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced, reflective and committed to ensuring positive outcomes for children. She has a very nurturing approach, which the children and staff respond well to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager’s oversight of the home is good. She uses monitoring systems which are reflective and underpinned by seeking out learning opportunities to improve staff practice and experiences for children. She is supported by an experienced responsible individual who has good insight and offers the manager support to further develop the home and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership team is focused on upskilling staff and ensuring staff have the necessary training to meet the individual needs of children. Staff are offered a vast range of training opportunities that are specific to the needs of the children living in the home. Leaders are also prompt in their responses to address shortfalls, at staff supervision and team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel extremely well supported and speak highly of the management team. One staff member said, ‘I would like to say [name of manager] is the best manager I could’ve ever asked for. I feel that I have never met a manager that knows her staffing team inside out the way she does.’ As a result, team morale is high, and staff enjoy working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have developed very good working relationships with the children’s professional networks. They work well with social workers, teachers and therapists to ensure children’s needs are met and children receive consistent messages from professionals involved in their lives. Feedback from professionals is extremely positive. A headteacher said, ‘I wish all care homes were as good as they are. They are brilliant.’ Inspection report for children's home: 2610371 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that meets the needs of the children. The home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than institutional impression. This specifically relates to the use of window restrictors in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2610371 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Child First Residential Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 11 Hollyhedge Road, West Bromwich B71 3BP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Rajinder Kudhail

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Inspector

Menaka De Silva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2610371 7 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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