Children's Home run by Serenity Specialist Care Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC471672 1 SC471672 Registered provider: Serenity Specialist Care Limited

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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 provides care for up to four children with complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home. Both children were seen and spoken to during the inspection. One child has moved out of the home since the last inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2021 and is suitably qualified.

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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: 24 September 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: SC471672 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/09/2024 Full Good 16/05/2023 Full Good 12/07/2022 Full Good 19/01/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC471672 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home is welcoming, comfortable and well-presented. There is attention to detail, such as children’s artwork on display and soft furnishings. During inspection, it was one child’s birthday, and the home was decorated to celebrate this event.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care and staff understand the starting point for each child. This helps staff to agree realistic goals with children. Children contribute to their plans and are encouraged to express their views and wishes. Their views are considered, and changes are communicated to the children. For example, when children stated that they would like to be able to socialise in each other’s bedrooms, the manager supported them to do this in a safe way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager advocates for children’s educational needs. One child who had not been engaging in education for over a year, has now started to work with a tutor. Another child has successfully moved to a new school and attends regularly. A teacher said that ‘The home has been excellent in advocating for them and helping them to express their wishes and feelings. At the same time, they have worked with us to support them in attending school and meetings our expectations. They clearly understand the importance of them attending education’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s health is promoted. Staff encourage children to attend health appointments. Staff have facilitated one-to-one health sessions to support children with their health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported to develop independence skills to help them prepare for the future. Staff identify realistic steps for children to complete and offer praise and reward for progress made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff at the home have developed good working relationships with family members. Time with family is safely promoted and supported. During this inspection, staff organised a meal for a child and their family at the child’s favourite restaurant. One parent said, ‘This is the best place they have lived; they are making so much progress in a short space of time. They now have rules and boundaries in place which is supporting their routines and education attendance.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and staff are new to the home and their relationships are still developing. Managers ensure that staff are skilled and equipped to meet all children’s needs. This enables the staff to prepare and support children well, so that their moves into the home run smoothly. They understand what is important to the children. One child has been supported to bring various pets to the home with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When a child had to move out of the home suddenly, the manager and staff supported the child and the placing authority throughout their move. The manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC471672 4 and staff have reflected on this outcome, exploring how they could improve practice to avoid an abrupt move happening in the future.

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

Children living in this home are protected from harm. The manager understands the risks for each child. There are up-to-date plans for staff to follow and they know what they need to do to keep children safe. Children have safe adults who they can talk to about their worries. When worries are shared, action is taken to help them.

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

Strategies are in place to reduce the risk of children going missing. If children do go missing, it is for a short period of time. Staff are pro-active in trying to find them and stay in touch via the telephone. Children are always spoken to after going missing. The manager identifies learning from these incidents and revises individual risk assessments. The manager has worked with a parent to reduce the risk of missing episodes.

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

Physical intervention is used infrequently. It has not been used for the current children in the home. It is proportionate and only used as a last resort. Children are always spoken to after the event to allow them to share their feelings. There is good oversight of these incidents, resulting in plans being adapted to reduce the risk of future interventions. One child struggled to come off their console and was given more warning time to reduce the risk of conflict.

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

After one physical intervention, a child made an allegation about a staff member. This was taken seriously and shared with the appropriate agencies. The home also made changes after learning from this allegation.

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

Managers and staff promote positive behaviour and provide the children with appropriate boundaries. When consequences are used, they align with the behaviour and support children to consider their actions without blame. Regular conversations with children give them the opportunity to reflect upon their behaviour. They are also given the choice to think about ways to manage their feelings safely.

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

There are up-to date risk assessments that effectively address vulnerabilities for each child. Staff know what they need to do to manage the risks. There is evidence that risks are reducing for the children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has created an open and inclusive culture that places children at the centre of practice. She values and promotes good teamwork well. As a result, children build positive relationships with the staff, whose skilled and caring practice increases the bonds between them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has excellent relationships with the children. She prioritises spending time with children, and she is an avid advocate for them when needed. Throughout Inspection report for children’s home: SC471672 5 inspection she exemplified a strong knowledge of the children’s progress and a commitment to respecting their individual identities. She strives to provide excellent outcomes for children and improve the operation of the home. This ethos is shared by a highly motivated and enthusiastic team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, a new staff team has taken up post, with one existing staff member remaining. Leadership within the home has remained stable, with the manager in role for the past four years. During a period when no children moved into the home, the manager used this time constructively to reflect on practice and proactively recruit and train the new team. This has supported the development of staff competence and cohesion, ensuring a prepared and consistent approach to caring for children. New staff work through effective induction workbooks with support from managers which include research and different scenarios around topics such as self-injury, bullying, physical intervention, missing from home and allegation management to name a few. The manager has been hugely creative in her thinking making role play videos of incidents to support staff with their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings and supervisions take place regularly and are used as a place for reflection, learning and provide a comprehensive overview of the progress made by children. This allows all staff an opportunity to discuss children’s progress, generate ideas and have a consistent approach to the care provided. Important issues are tracked and discussed, and children are at the centre of all staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers’ monitoring systems are embedded into practice, which ensures that they have a good oversight of the home and take action to address issues as they arise. This comprehensive oversight makes sure that all aspects of care and the running of the home are maintained to a good standard. This better assists the manager to identify concerns and make prompt changes to improve and maintain good standards of care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is well regarded and is nurturing towards the team, which creates an environment where staff feel well supported. Equally the management team value and appreciate the team and go above and beyond to recognise the good work they do.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established strong connections with partner agencies. Professionals are positive about the communication with the team and about the care provided for children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC471672 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: SC471672 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Serenity Specialist Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First Floor, Dominion Court, 43 Station Road, Solihull B91 3RT

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Inspectors

Marianne Grandfield, Social Care Inspector Jenny Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC471672 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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