Children's home run by Midcare Housing Support Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2822201 1 Registered provider: Midcare Housing Support Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private company. The home provides care for one child with social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, no child was living at the home. However, one child had lived at the home previously, so their experiences were considered at this inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2025.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2822201 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment provided a safe space where the child who previously lived in the home felt valued. Despite being intended as a short-term arrangement, the child settled well, resulting in a more long-term placement.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Records relating to the child were not always written in a way that would be easily understood by them should they wish to view their files in the future. This has been identified as an area for development to ensure that all records are child friendly and fully reflect the child’s time in the home.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In the absence of an education placement for the child, the manager took proactive steps to advocate for the child and to ensure that suitable educational plans were progressed. This resulted in a multi-agency meeting to establish an appropriate plan. Regrettably, the child moved from the home before professionals were able to identify and confirm an education placement going forwards. While the child lived at the home during the holidays, staff encouraged activities to support with learning and development.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When the child moved from the home, the manager ensured that appropriate support was provided to promote a smooth and positive transition from the home. The manager undertook effective liaison with the local authority and the receiving home to share detailed information about the child’s needs, progress and experiences, ensuring they were fully informed. The child was also provided with a personalised journey file to celebrate and reflect on their time in the home.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the child’s cultural background and identity. They supported the child to celebrate their culture through meal preparation and by ensuring that their personal and daily care needs reflected their individual preferences and heritage. This was highlighted as a particular strength by all professionals involved with the child.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff supported the child to maintain positive relationships with those who were important to them. When appropriate, a family member was actively involved in the child’s day-to-day care planning. On several occasions, a family member visited the home to cook with their child, helping to strengthen their bond and support the child’s sense of identity and belonging.

p.2

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

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the child’s needs and used a range of creative strategies to help them reflect on their behaviour and develop safer ways of managing situations. Although the child was reluctant to take part in formal conversations, staff used creative and flexible approaches to encourage engagement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822201 3 The manager also made a referral to an external professional to provide additional support around fire safety, and the child engaged positively with this support.

p.2

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

Staff demonstrated a good awareness of the child’s individual risks and took appropriate action when new concerns emerged, ensuring that risk assessments remained current and responsive to the child’s evolving needs. These assessments provided direction to staff on how to manage and reduce risk to the child. For the child, their risk around going missing significantly reduced when living at the home. However, one particular risk assessment required additional detail to ensure it fully reflected the child’s circumstances.

p.3

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

When physical intervention has been used, it has been appropriate and proportionate. Staff consistently support the child to manage situations and to identify strategies that help the child to regulate their emotions. All incidents of intervention are reviewed by the manager. However, when the manager has been directly involved in an incident, these reviews have not always been independently quality assured.

p.3

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

Consequences are restorative in nature. Staff hold reflective discussions with the child to help them understand why the consequences have been implemented. All consequences and discussions are reviewed by management to ensure they are effective and appropriate.

p.3

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

Complaints are reviewed by individuals independent of the home, ensuring objectivity in the process. Actions identified through complaints are promptly addressed by the manager. When concerns relate to staff, appropriate and timely steps are taken to safeguard the child. Strong multi-agency working ensures that all relevant professionals are informed. Investigations are also carried out by an independent person, maintaining objectivity.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a manager who is dedicated to meeting the needs of the child. The manager advocated effectively on the child’s behalf, raising concerns with the local authority when these arose. When responses were delayed, the manager would escalate these further to ensure the child’s needs were addressed. This proactive advocacy was highlighted as a particular strength by an external professional working with the child.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report feeling well supported by managers and say they would feel comfortable raising any concerns or worries. They also shared that following incidents, their well- being is considered and they are given time and space to reflect and access any support needed.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the home and of any concerning incidents. The manager reflects on each incident and identifies where staff practice could be Inspection report for children’s home: 2822201 4 improved. Areas for development are shared with the wider team, supporting ongoing learning and the continuous improvement of care practice.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to regular team meetings and individual supervisions, which they report as beneficial. These sessions focus on the child and encourage reflective practice, considering both what has gone well and areas for improvement. When specific concerns arise regarding staff practice, single-issue supervisions are used to address these matters directly and ensure that issues are resolved effectively.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are up to date with mandatory training, including safeguarding. As a result, staff have the knowledge and skills required to meet the needs of the child in their care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822201 5

p.4

Statutory requirement

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.5

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—

p.5

Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

p.5

Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

p.5

Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

p.5

Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

p.5

Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

p.5

Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

p.5

Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

p.5

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 26 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2822201 6 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any incidents of restraint are subject to quality assurance by another individual if they were personally involved in the incident.

p.6

Recommendations

 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)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. The registered person

p.6

Recommendations

should ensure that these are specific to the child living in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

p.6

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: 2822201 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Midcare Housing Support Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 5, Shaw House, Two Woods Lane, Brierley Hill DY5 1TA

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Thulani Mahubaba

p.7

Inspector

Jess Baines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2822201 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 children looked, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

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 . 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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8