Children's Home run by Harmony Childcare Residential Homes Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 1 Registered provider: Harmony Childcare Residential Homes 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

The home is owned by a private company and is registered to provide care for up to 3 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 10 December 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/12/2024 Full Good 12/12/2023 Full Good 13/12/2022 Full Good 30/08/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences of living in the home have been inconsistent. There are currently 2 children living in the home. Both are settled and making progress. The 2 children engaged happily through play with the inspector. However, since the last inspection, there have been 4 children move in, 3 of whom experienced unplanned moves out of the home after a short period of time. In addition, some safeguarding arrangements and management systems require improvement.

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improvement to be good

Children’s moves in and out of the home are not consistently well planned. While leaders and managers have assessed children’s risks and vulnerabilities prior to moving into the home, they have not always been provided with or made attempts to gather the most up-to-date information. When incidents have occurred, some children have quickly moved out of the home in an unplanned way. For one child, the police were called, and the child was arrested. As a result, some children experience further rejection in their lives, which can adversely impact on their emotional wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

Staff value and understand the importance of children’s education. Children have good attendance at school. Staff are supportive of their educational professionals, and they regularly attend school events and read to the children. Educational achievements are recognised and celebrated, which contributes to children’s confidence and motivation.

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improvement to be good

Action taken by staff has made a positive difference to children’s health and wellbeing. Both children are registered with local health services and attend routine health appointments. Children’s health needs are quickly acted on, and professional advice is sought when needed. This has contributed to improved health outcomes for the children living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide children with opportunities to engage in activities and new experiences. Children enjoy holidays and trips out. One child is learning to play a musical instrument and has performed in a school concert, which was attended by staff. Children’s memories are captured in monthly newsletters, and photos are displayed around the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s views and wishes are considered in the running of the home. Children’s views are obtained as part of the monitoring of the service. Feedback is provided to children following discussions that show their feedback has been listened to and reasonable requests taken forward. This helps children to feel heard and have their views respected.

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improvement to be good

The home environment is warm and inviting. It has been beautifully decorated for Christmas, adding to the children’s excitement. Children and staff sit together to enjoy family meals and engage in conversation. Children are proud of their personal spaces, which are decorated and contain items that reflect their individuality. This provides some children with a sense of belonging. Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 4

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently assess risks effectively when working with children. While incidents in the home are low, there have been some occasions where children have been hurt or left at risk due to a lack of supervision from staff. For example, on one occasion, despite signs of bullying, staff did not provide adequate supervision of the children. This led to a child being hurt, and staff were not present to prevent it.

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improvement to be good

Incidents requiring the use of physical restraint with children are rare. However, on the one occasion a physical restraint was used, staff failed to recognise it as such and document it appropriately. Furthermore, the physical restraint used by staff was not appropriate, proportionate or in line with the child’s plans. This led to the child becoming further distressed and prolonged the incident.

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improvement to be good

Overall, staff have built trusting relationships with the children currently living in the home. Children say they are happy. There are clear routines and boundaries, which help children to feel settled and secure.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to make positive choices that will keep them and others safe. For example, reflective conversations about bullying have helped to support improvements in peer relationships in the home.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment procedures are followed. Appropriate checks are undertaken before staff work with children. However, checks relating to the original Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate are not clearly recorded to show when and who completed them or whether there were any issues identified. The lack of a clear audit trail could lead to concerns in the vetting of staff being missed and increase the risk of children being cared for by unsuitable staff.

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

The home is led by a qualified registered manager, who is dual registered with another home in the company. A trainee manager supports the registered manager in the day-to- day running of the home. However, the home’s leadership systems are not consistently effective in making continual improvements to the care that children receive in the home.

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

Leaders and managers do not consistently have a good understanding of weaknesses in the delivery of care to children. This has led to some children experiencing unplanned moves into and out of the home. While leaders have reflected on their decision-making processes and are taking action to address the shortfalls, there was a lack of understanding of the impact this has had on children. Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 5 Leaders and managers do not always manage staff practice effectively. On one occasion, leaders and managers did not manage disciplinary processes effectively or take action to secure sustained improvements. As a result, children do not always feel safe in their company. In response to this, managers did take action to explore the child’s views and planned work is in place to restore positive relationships.

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

Staff receive regular supervision, and team meetings are used to discuss children’s needs and progress, as well as any learning and development needs they have. There is a well- qualified team in place that have access to a wide range of training. This has helped equip staff with the skills and knowledge needed to support children who currently live in the home.

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

Leaders and managers have developed positive working relationships with those professionals involved in the care of the two children currently living in the home. This has led to the trainee manager becoming a governor at one child’s school. One professional said, ‘My experience of the home has been fantastic. He [the child] has built some beautiful relationships.’ Another professional said, ‘He [the child] is flourishing. He has the childhood he deserves.’ Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 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

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

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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

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, the registered person must ensure that children are safeguarded effectively and that staff actions do not contribute to children’s distress and escalation of incidents. In addition, children must receive adequate supervision to minimise the risk of them being hurt. 31 January 2026

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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— 31 January 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 7 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

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 work as a team where appropriate; and

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must lead the home effectively and ensure that staff have the skills to safely meet children’s needs and vulnerabilities.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that effective oversight and action are taken to address trends in staff practice to help secure sustained improvements in the care that children receive.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 31 January 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 8 The registered person must ensure that they review the high turnover of children living in the home who have experienced unplanned endings. The registered person must take action to consider the impact on children and to implement systems that impact positively on children’s experiences when moving into and out of the home.

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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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)) 31 January 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. Specifically, ensure that there are records to demonstrate that original DBS checks have been undertaken when staff are first recruited to work in the home. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2495967 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Harmony Childcare Residential Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Easyflow Ltd, 38e Vanguard Way, Battlefield Enterprise Park, Shrewsbury SY1 3TG

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Inspector

Louise Naylor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2495967 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 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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