Children's home run by Kathrey Homes Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2792613 1 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 private organisation. Staff provide care for up to one child with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since December 2024, when the home was first registered.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable

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Inspection judgements

Inspection report for children’s home: 2792613 2

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improvement to be good

Since the home registered in December 2024, two children have moved into the home and one child has moved out. Both children were placed in the home on an emergency basis. Due to this, the location of the home was not thoroughly assessed. One child experienced a significant incident at a train station that had the potential to cause significant harm. Although staff managed this incident well, poor care planning meant that the child was placed at the home despite known risks.

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improvement to be good

Staff form positive relationships with children. Staff observe children’s emotions and have regular conversations to check in with how children are feeling. The caring approach helps children trust staff and feel able to express any concerns. Staff has supported the child currently living at the home to celebrate Eid while cooking traditional meals that they would have at home. This has provided the child with a sense of belonging.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and staff support positive health outcomes. Staff support the child currently living in the home with healthy eating and engaging in regular exercise following a health assessment. Leaders liaise with external agencies when required, including drug and therapeutic services. This has helped the child to form healthier lifestyles.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to make progress with their education. Staff consult with education professionals regularly. This ensures that children’s needs are well understood. Effective challenge from the management team has helped to ensure that the child is able to attend school full time.

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improvement to be good

The environment is well decorated. Children’s feedback has been gained to redecorate the games room and also for their own bedrooms to become more personalised. Due to this, children feel comfortable in the home.

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improvement to be good

Leaders do not always have oversight of physical interventions. Some physical intervention incidents are missing a recorded evaluation by the manager. Consequently, it is not always clear to see how managers have been assured that staff have responded appropriately during physical interventions.

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improvement to be good

Risk management plans do not always provide clear guidance for staff. Some plans have missed important information. This has been in relation to presenting risks and actions to be taken by staff. Due to the staff team being new, this provides an opportunity for inconsistency among the team.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to understand how to raise concerns about their care. As a result, the child feels safe and able to speak to staff about any worries they have. Inspection report for children’s home: 2792613 3 When concerns have arisen regarding exploitation, the manager has liaised with the child’s placing local authority. Work completed with the child by staff has raised their awareness about the risks of going missing from home and how to identify safe people.

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improvement to be good

Since registration, there have been no complaints or allegations. Staff provide children with regular opportunities through direct-work sessions and ‘children’s chats’ to discuss any concerns they have. This has supported children to feel more confident in sharing their views.

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

The registered manager’s role is sometimes blurred by senior managers. When decisions have been made, including the recruitment of new staff and the admission of new children, it has not been clear whether the manager or the directors make the final decision. Consequently, there is an impact on the registered manager’s oversight of the home.

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

Staff are not always safely recruited. Leaders did not obtain overseas police checks for a new staff member who was working in the home. Agency worker recruitment checks are not viewed by leaders before staff start working in the home. It is not clear how leaders have been assured that staff are safe to work in the home.

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

The staff rota does not contain all relevant information. Staff’s full names and job roles have not been added. This makes it unclear to see who is on shift on a particular day.

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

Staff receive regular supervision. Staff say that they feel confident approaching the manager with any concerns that they have. The manager has an open-door policy and is warm and welcoming to them. Supervision sessions have been regular, which has provided staff with a feeling of being supported.

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

Leaders provide bespoke learning opportunities for staff, who complete specific training, including the PACE model of care, missing from care and safeguarding. Recently, the police point of contact for the home led training on child criminal exploitation. This focused on the child living in the home, and staff reported that they gained a better understanding of the child’s needs. Staff are now able to manage presenting behaviours more effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2792613 4

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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

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. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(a)) 8 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.

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 8 May 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

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 8 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2792613 5 individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

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; 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)(d))

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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

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)) 8 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)) 8 May 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 2792613 6

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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: 2792613 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 181-183 Summer Road, Erdington, Birmingham B23 6DX

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Inspector

Chanel Bryant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2792613 8 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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