Children's Home run by Featherstone Care Services Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2687555 1 Registered provider: Featherstone Care 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 home is privately owned. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post, who is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children lived at the home. All three were present and spoke with the inspector.

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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

Date of last inspection: 6 November 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: 2687555 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/11/2024 Full Good 31/07/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2687555 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has remained living at the home and two children have moved in. Children’s needs are carefully considered before moving into the home to ensure that the staff team can meet their needs and that children who already live at the home are appropriately supported to prepare for this change. The admission process is thorough, with information routinely gathered from children’s previous care and educational settings to help staff better understand each child’s presenting needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to prepare for their futures. One child is due to move on from the home into semi-independent accommodation, in line with their care plan. Staff have carefully considered the child’s presenting needs and regularly review the guidance required to help the child feel ready for this transition. Staff work effectively with external professionals, routinely sharing information to support children positively as they move into the next chapter of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well presented. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms and share ideas about how the home could be improved. They are also given the opportunity to care for household pets, which helps to foster a sense of responsibility and companionship. These elements contribute to the home’s welcoming and nurturing atmosphere.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Positive rewards and verbal praise are consistently used to recognise and celebrate children’s achievements. Incentives are regularly reviewed to ensure they remain relevant and personalised, helping to motivate children to achieve their goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have relevant and up-to-date education plans, supported by focused professional meetings to review progress and identify next steps. When there are changes to the stability and security of a child’s education setting, staff work closely with schools to ensure that careful and effective planning is in place to support the child through the transition. For one child, who has struggled to attend on-site education since leaving secondary school, staff have creatively sourced a range of training and learning opportunities within the local community, ensuring consistent exposure to available pathways into training and employment.

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

Children’s individual risks are clearly identified, understood and managed by staff and leaders effectively. Risk assessments provide staff with the necessary information to keep children safe and are regularly reviewed, offering clear guidance on the steps required to reduce risk. Inspection report for children’s home: 2687555 4 Staff support children to understand and identify risk through regular discussions about their experiences and by exploring strategies to build resilience. Since the last inspection, one member of staff has received training in sexual health and now acts as the lead professional within the home. This role involves supporting children to develop their understanding of risk, build resilience and access specialist support and guidance when needed.

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

Staff understand the actions to take if a child goes missing and follow clear, established procedures. These incidents are managed effectively, with staff providing appropriate reassurance and conducting welfare checks on the child’s return. When children are reported missing from home, the management team works closely with partner agencies to explore and identify any potential contextual safeguarding risks that may increase the child’s vulnerability to exploitation and harm.

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

Physical intervention is used minimally and only as a last resort to keep children safe from harm. Children and staff are spoken with promptly about the experience and to ensure that children’s rights are upheld. However, case records are not consistently signed and dated, which limits the manager’s ability to accurately monitor when children have been debriefed following incidents of restraint.

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

There is a strong culture of learning from incidents, with detailed reflections recorded on incident reports from the home’s therapist. These reflections provide staff with valuable insights into the child’s perspective and experiences. This process supports staff in considering what could be done differently to reduce the need for physical intervention.

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

Monitoring and surveillance measures are used appropriately to ensure that children’s safety needs are met. Children’s risk assessments reflect these measures and have clear scheduled review points to ensure children experience the least restrictive practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a manager who has high expectations for what children in her care can achieve. The management team understands the home’s strengths and has a clear plan in place to address any identified shortfalls in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has created an environment that supports staff effectively to learn and reflect on their practice. Staff members report feeling well supported and receive regular, high-quality supervision that allows them to reflect on their work and identify areas for improvement. However, during annual appraisals, there is not consistent evidence that staff are given clear deadlines for completing agreed actions. This limits the manager’s ability to monitor staff progress and identify any delays in achieving planned goals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training is tailored to meet the specific needs of the children being welcomed into the home. When one child expressed that they did not feel ready to engage in Inspection report for children’s home: 2687555 5 face-to-face sessions with the home’s therapist, the manager creatively used the therapist’s expertise to upskill the staff team. This was achieved through team meetings and one-to-one sessions with staff, enabling them to apply therapeutic techniques and guidance in the child’s day-to-day care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff have developed and maintained strong relationships with professionals, and children receive the best possible care from all services. The management team appropriately challenges other professionals when necessary to secure the care and support children need. Managers have also acknowledged that complaints made on behalf of children must be consistently followed up and escalated where appropriate, to ensure that children’s rights are upheld and advocated for effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2687555 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s case records are kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should ensure that where another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs during their time in the home, the home must challenge them to meet the child’s needs. This specifically relates to escalating complaints made on behalf of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)  The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally reviewed at least once annually. Clear deadlines should be recorded of when actions from the appraisal are expected to be completed, along with the date by which the registered person will review

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Recommendations

progress. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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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: 2687555 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Featherstone Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 68 Yardley Road, Acocks Green, Birmingham B27 6LG

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Inspector

Charlotte Tippett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2687555 8 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 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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