Children's Home run by Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd in Dudley

Inspection report for children’s home: SC483958 1 SC483958 Registered provider: Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home that provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since May 2025 and has submitted their application to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 10 September 2024

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC483958 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/09/2024 Full Good 30/05/2023 Full Good 27/04/2022 Full Good 03/02/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC483958 3

p.2

improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home. Both children were away on school trips, and therefore their views could not be gathered.

p.3

improvement to be good

Overall, staff build and maintain positive relationships with children, which are nurturing and supportive. However, recent changes to the staff team have led to some disruption and unsettlement for children. While remaining staff have worked hard to provide consistency and reassurance, the impact of these changes has affected children’s sense of stability and routine.

p.3

improvement to be good

The home’s physical environment requires some improvement. The garden area is currently inaccessible due to overgrown vegetation and uneven ground. This limits opportunities for children to engage in outdoor play and relaxation. Although children’s bedrooms are personalised, some contain broken furniture and damaged windows that have not been repaired. This does not support a consistently safe and welcoming space for children.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff undertake regular direct work with children, which is tailored to children’s individual needs. These sessions contribute to the support that children receive. However, staff do not routinely evaluate the impact of this work or identify follow-up actions. Children’s views on the effectiveness of these sessions are not consistently gathered. Consequently, opportunities to review and adapt support in line with children’s needs are limited.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children’s moves into and out of the home are well planned and managed. The registered manager carefully considers the needs of new children alongside those of children already living at the home. As a result, children have successfully moved in and settled well. Children who move on from the home are supported, and staff ensure that these moves are positive and well prepared.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff place a strong emphasis on education, and children are making progress in their educational settings. While some children have experienced challenges, staff provide consistent support to help them overcome these barriers. As a result, children are supported to re-engage with learning in line with their individual needs.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to contribute to their own care plans. This promotes a child- centred approach and enables staff to deliver consistent and responsive care. As a result, children make progress in important areas of their lives. One social worker said that one child is now happier and more settled at the home because of the support they receive from staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483958 4

p.3

improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been incidents of children going missing from the home. Staff follow agreed procedures and work with external safeguarding agencies to ensure children are located safely. While children’s risks are reviewed following these incidents, the manager has not consistently considered or implemented preventive strategies. As a result, staff are not always clear on how best to support children who may be at risk of going missing.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff do not always assess risks effectively when working with children. This is because children’s plans lack sufficient detail and guidance to support staff in managing risks effectively. This limits the effectiveness of staff responses to safeguarding concerns. On occasions, this has affected the support provided to children during times of crisis.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff demonstrate some understanding of risks presented by child criminal exploitation. However, a lack of professional curiosity has limited staff’s ability to fully explore and understand the specific risks faced by one child. As a result, opportunities to implement effective safeguarding measures were restricted, and the child was not adequately protected in the local community.

p.4

improvement to be good

Conflict between children is not consistently recognised or addressed in a timely manner. As a result, children do not always experience safe or positive relationships with each other in the home. Although children have raised concerns about their relationships, these have not been responded to effectively by the registered manager. This has led to some children feeling unheard and unsupported.

p.4

improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not taken effective action to manage the fire risks associated with children smoking in the home. Staff have not consistently enforced boundaries, addressed this behaviour or taken action to reduce the risks. In one instance, a child caused damage to their bedroom linked to smoking which was not identified or responded to by staff. This lack of oversight increases the potential for serious harm.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff are skilled in using de-escalation techniques effectively. This helps to reduce the need for the use of physical intervention. Since the last inspection, there has been only one incident requiring physical intervention. This was appropriately and proportionately managed to ensure the safety of both children and staff.

p.4

improvement to be good

When there are concerns about staff practice or when children raise concerns about staff, the manager takes prompt action. They have reported to those that need to know, investigated, and where necessary, suspended staff while investigations take place. These actions reassure children that staff and leaders care about their welfare. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483958 5

p.4

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

Since the last inspection, there has been a change in the registered manager. During a short period without a permanent manager in post, staff experienced some instability and a lack of clear structure. Senior leaders provided oversight and support during this time. The newly appointed manager is now starting to provide effective leadership, and staff report feeling well supported. They speak positively about the improvements being made by the manager.

p.5

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

Leaders do not consistently make improvements to the care that children receive. Some shortfalls raised at the last inspection have not been addressed by leaders and managers and continue to impact children’s experiences of living in the home. As a result, progress in improving the quality of care for children has been limited.

p.5

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

Managers have established monitoring and review systems that oversee the care and support provided to children. Evaluation of records and incidents is improving. However, these systems do not consistently assess the impact of care on children’s experiences, identify shortfalls in staff practice or capture learning to inform improvement. As a result, opportunities to enhance children’s quality of care are sometimes missed, particularly where children’s needs change or safeguarding concerns arise.

p.5

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

Staff receive regular, reflective supervision that supports their development and contributes to improvements in practice. They are suitably trained and speak positively about the relevance of the training provided. Staff also benefit from input from the clinical team and focused discussions with the manager, which help to enhance their knowledge and skills. This supports the delivery of therapeutic care. However, the impact of this support on children’s experiences and progress is not yet consistently evident.

p.5

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

The manager has a clear and positive vision for the home and is aware of the areas that require development to improve outcomes for children. This vision is supported by the senior leadership team.

p.5

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

The manager and staff maintain positive and effective relationships with professionals and children’s family members. These partnerships help to ensure that children receive the right care and support to meet their individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483958 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.6

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.6

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv)(v)(b)(d))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are equipped with the skills to assess children’s risks effectively and take action to reduce risks to children. This specifically relates to fire safety in the home and the need to update and review these plans regularly. Also, the registered person must ensure that children’s risk assessments are updated after incidents and 8 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC483958 7 strategies are identified to help staff understand what action they need to take to reduce those risks.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children are supported to understand how to keep safe. Specifically, they must ensure that any conflict between children is managed and that their relationships are positive and safe. The registered person must ensure that multi-agency safety plan decisions are implemented without delay.

p.7

Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

p.7

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they consider the impact of the care provided by staff to children, along with children’s wishes and feelings, to inform the development of the quality of care provided to children. 8 November 2025

p.7

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. In particular, records of direct work with children should be clear to help them understand the benefit of the work being completed. Also, records need to be clear on next steps to take place to ensure that children understand and are given Inspection report for children’s home: SC483958 8 opportunities to make progress. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.7

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: SC483958 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 16 Queen Street, Wellington, Telford TF1 1EH

p.9

Inspector

Hayley Booth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC483958 10 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10