Children's home run by YCPG Services Ltd in Walsall

Inspection report for children’s home: SC063813 1 SC063813 Registered provider: DMR 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 six children who may experience childhood instability, which may lead to trauma and associated risks.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since July 2025. A manager was appointed and started work in the home but has since left.

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Information about this children’s home

The previous responsible individual left in July 2025. The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and Ofsted is currently checking this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 9 December 2024

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC063813 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/12/2024 Full Good 12/03/2024 Full Good 17/01/2023 Full Good 11/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC063813 3

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inadequate

Children’s experiences, progress and safety within the home are variable. Some children have had positive experiences, but other children’s experiences are impacted by safeguarding incidents. These incidents have impacted on their overall experience and sense of safety within the home.

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inadequate

Damage to the home environment has occurred during various incidents. Managers’ responses to these issues have not consistently been timely or effective. As a result, children do not benefit from living in a home that is welcoming, homely and well maintained. Managers took some action during the inspection to improve the living environment.

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inadequate

Children have identified some trusted adults they feel able to approach for support. However, the high turnover within the staff team impacts on the development of stable and secure relationships. This means that children are still in the process of building trust and confidence in the adults who care for them.

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inadequate

Staff demonstrate a commitment to supporting children’s engagement with education. They recognise the individual barriers and challenges that children may face. When full-time education is not in place, staff support children to engage in tuition and home learning. One child’s school was positive about communication. This collaborative working supports children’s progress.

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inadequate

Children’s health and well-being are supported by staff who help children to attend routine appointments. Children have access to specialist emotional health support when needed. Staff also support children to stay active. One child has been encouraged to develop his passion for rugby and has recently been selected to attend trials with a professional rugby club. This is a significant achievement and has had a positive impact on the child’s confidence and self-esteem.

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inadequate

Children are encouraged to maintain meaningful connections with those who matter most to them. Staff work in partnership with family members. One child enjoys family members attending his significant events. These efforts help children preserve important relationships and stay connected to their personal histories.

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

Leaders and managers do not assess children’s risks effectively or demonstrate that they are able to consider the impact of risk on children. Managers made decisions to move a child into the home without considering the risk for all children and how this could be managed. Managers did not share presenting risks with the local authority to ensure that they could make an informed decision about whether the home was Inspection report for children’s home: SC063813 4 safe and appropriate for the child. As a result, the child has been left vulnerable to risk, and this has led to the local authority reaching a decision to move the child from the home. As a result, the child will experience avoidable disruption and instability.

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

Managers have failed to ensure that staff are equipped with essential information about each of the children living in their home and their associated risk management strategies. Key information about risks to a child was not always shared with staff, resulting in staff being unable to adequately safeguard children. In addition, when new risks for children were identified, risk assessments were not updated to ensure that staff knew how to respond to prevent placing already vulnerable children at risk.

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

Managers and staff do not manage children’s behaviour by consistently implementing the therapeutic ethos the service promotes. Restraint is not proportionate with punitive responses to children’s behaviour contributing to avoidable escalations. One child has been restrained on the floor by four members of staff on two occasions. In addition to this poor and unsafe practice, records are not adequately completed. This prevents learning that could improve practice and safety of children.

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

Children are unable to access all appropriate areas of the home, including the garden, as both the external doors are locked. Staff are unclear about risk management strategies and when children’s liberties may be deprived due to potential risk. Children and staff reported that doors are routinely kept locked, and children must request staff assistance to exit the home. This restricts children’s freedom of movement. Not all local authorities have been aware of this restrictive practice imposed so they have been unable to consider the impact of this on the rights of their children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has experienced a period of instability in leadership, with no current manager or deputy in post. There has been a high turnover in both management and staff, contributing to disorganisation in systems, ineffective management oversight and challenges in accessing required information during inspection. Leaders and managers are actively working to implement new systems aimed at addressing these issues and improving stability moving forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is a recently appointed responsible individual in post. He has developed strong relationships with children and demonstrates a clear understanding of the home’s therapeutic ethos. Senior managers are actively addressing issues identified during the inspection and have a good grasp of the strengths and weaknesses within the staff team. External stakeholders provided positive feedback about the responsible individual’s impact on children’s experiences and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not receive regular supervision. There have been some occasions when staff’s responses have not aligned with the home’s ethos and expected professional boundaries. Absence of supervision and support results in missed opportunities for staff to engage in reflective discussions and receive targeted developmental Inspection report for children’s home: SC063813 5 support. Although a comprehensive training programme is in place and many staff are actively working towards the required qualifications, there remains a noticeable gap between theoretical learning and day-to-day practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Children are not receiving consistent care from a stable and familiar team. This impacts on the quality of support they experience. The lack of continuity in staffing means that children’s individual needs and risks are not always well understood. This inconsistency undermines the development of trusting relationships and impacts on children’s overall experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Children report feeling listened to, and inspectors observed that staff actively value and respond to children’s views. In addition, children have played a meaningful role in staff recruitment processes, demonstrating the organisation’s commitment to children’s participation and ensuring that children’s voices influence decisions affecting their care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063813 6

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all relevant information is shared with children’s social workers about risk or any significant changes within the home. 16 November

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that leaders and managers ensure a proactive response to maintaining the home environment when damage occurs. 16 November

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Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 2 November Inspection report for children’s home: SC063813 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that staff understand their roles and responsibilities and effective processes are in place to assess risk when children move into the home.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 2 November Inspection report for children’s home: SC063813 8 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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)(a)(c)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that leaders and managers ensure effective monitoring and oversight of the home, that all staff understand the ethos of the home and have regular reflective supervision.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20(a)(b) (2)) 16 November

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)) 16 November

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure; 16 November Inspection report for children’s home: SC063813 9 a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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

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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”)—

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has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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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))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: SC063813 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: DMR Services, 102 Queslett Road, Streetley, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham B74 2EZ

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Inspectors

Natasha Skinner, Social Care Inspector Dean Wilton, Regulatory inspector Manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC063813 11 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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