Children's Home run by TS Children Services Ltd in Dudley

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2726003 1 Registered provider: TS Children Services Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in November 2023 and is privately owned. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties, as well as special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in post. A senior manager and quality assurance lead have been overseeing the day-to-day management of the home.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home. One was present during the inspection, who chose not to be spoken to.

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Information about this children’s home

On 9 and 10 June 2025, Ofsted conducted an inspection of this home. Serious and widespread failures were identified at this inspection. The home was judged inadequate. A notice to restrict accommodation was issued, along with a compliance notice under regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to assess the action taken by managers to meet the steps set out in the compliance notice for regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard), to review the managers’ compliance with the notice to restrict accommodation and to check the progress made in relation to the shortfalls found at the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has adhered to the notice to restrict accommodation, and no children have moved into the home.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders in the organisation have been overseeing the management of the home, while a new manager is being recruited. This has provided consistent and improved oversight of children’s care and safety. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2726003 2 Managers have reviewed the systems for monitoring the care children receive. There is a service improvement plan in place, which is regularly reviewed. This demonstrates leaders’ and managers’ ambition and commitment to continually develop and improve.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have ensured that all staff, including agency staff, are provided with training so that staff develop the knowledge and skills to meet children’s needs effectively. Staff have received training in physical intervention, the home’s therapeutic model of care, autism spectrum disorder, and reporting and recording.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have implemented effective systems to record and review incidents in a timely manner. For example, managers took prompt positive action when a child made an allegation against staff. They ensured that information was swiftly shared with professionals, and a detailed management investigation was completed with learning identified to prevent reoccurrence and improve staff practice.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have taken action to make the environment safer for children. For example, staff have made alterations to children’s bedrooms to prevent access to wires and cables, when there are known risks.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have completed a six-monthly review of the quality of care. This gave a good overview of the children, their progress and challenges. However, managers had not consulted with children about their care, and it was unclear how learning from feedback from others was being used to improve practice and the care that children receive. These omissions affect the quality of the manager’s review.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s views, wishes and feelings are now prioritised. Managers have requested that children have access to an advocate so that they have someone independent who they can share their worries and concerns with. Children are kept informed of the outcomes of complaints and allegations so that they feel listened to. Staff have also spoken to the children about important topics, such as the importance of taking medication and attending health appointments. This supports children to be informed and keep themselves safer.

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This monitoring visit

Managers and staff have reviewed children’s written plans, including risk assessments and behaviour support plans. These are now regularly updated and give clearer guidance to staff on how to manage identified risks and vulnerabilities. However, on one of the children’s missing-from-home plans, it was not clear when staff are to contact police. While this has not had any direct impact, it does have the potential to lead to delays and inconsistent responses from staff.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have not ensured that physical interventions are consistently recorded in line with the regulation. For example, one record lacked managers’ oversight, and the length of the measure used by staff was not recorded. Managers did review the intervention during their investigation of the allegation, so this shortfall has not impacted on children. However, gaps in records can affect the effectiveness of the managers’ review of incidents. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2726003 3 As a result of this visit, Ofsted deems that managers have taken sufficient action to address the steps set out in the compliance notice. The compliance notice for regulation 13 and the requirements under regulations 10 and 12 have been met. However, not all the requirements raised at the full inspection were reviewed at this visit and will be reviewed at the next inspection. Three additional recommendations

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This monitoring visit

have been raised at this visit. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2726003 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/06/2025 Full Inadequate 04/09/2024 Full Good 14/03/2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2726003 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply with the given timescales.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that, subject to regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), contact between each child and the child’s parents, relatives and friends, is promoted in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)(d)(f)) 27 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2726003 6 This specifically relates to ensuring that effective planned care and arrangements are in place when children move in and out of the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘‘case records’’) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated. 27 July 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and proportionate. They should ensure that all incidents of intervention are recorded in line with regulation 35. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person must specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home. They should ensure that there is clear guidance for staff to follow of when the child should be reported missing to the police. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)  The registered person should have a system in place which allows them to monitor

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Recommendations

the matters set out in the regulation at least once every six months. They should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. The registered person should use feedback from children, parents and professionals to support their review of the care children receive and how learning from feedback is used to improve staff practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2726003 7

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2726003 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: TS Children Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 11 Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV1 4DJ

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Inspector

Sonia Sullivan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2726003 9 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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