Children's home run by Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council in Walsall

Inspection report for children's home: SC464762 1 SC464762 Registered provider: Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This service is run by a local authority and provides short periods of residential care for up to 6 children with physical and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 4 children were accessing short breaks.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2013 and is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC464762 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2025 Full Good 18/12/2023 Full Good 21/02/2023 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC464762 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that transitions for children starting to have breaks at the home are thoughtfully planned and tailored to each child. Staff work closely with families and other key people to gather detailed information about children’s preferences and routines. Stays are introduced gradually and sensitively, enabling children to build familiarity and trust. Bedrooms are carefully prepared before children arrive, in line with their preferences, helping them feel comfortable, secure and valued from the start.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with care that is nurturing, well organised and responsive to their individual needs. Children are supported to develop independence in ways that are meaningful and appropriate to their abilities. Staff set individualised targets and provide encouragement and guidance. For example, children prepare snacks or make choices about their activities. This promotes confidence, self-esteem and a growing sense of achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well resourced, with a range of toys and equipment that reflect children’s interests and development needs. Children have access to a sensory room, outdoor play equipment and pool table. Sufficient staffing levels mean that children receive attentive support and have frequent opportunities for interaction with adults.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have limited opportunities to take part in community-based activities because of staff sufficiency. Leaders recognise this shortfall as an area for development. Managers demonstrate a clear understanding of the action needed to strengthen this aspect of the service.

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

There have been only a few incidents at the home since the last inspection. Staff have a clear understanding of each child’s needs, including their abilities and health requirements. This knowledge enables them to respond effectively and confidently to children’s needs and vulnerabilities.

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

Staff ensure that children are cared for in a home where their safety and wellbeing are prioritised. They complete regular audits of the environment to ensure that it remains safe for children. The manager completes and implements individual risk reduction plans to provide clear guidance for staff, helping them manage potential risks in a proactive way.

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

There has been no use of holds, however, on one occasion, staff needed to physically intervene to prevent harm. This was managed appropriately, with staff taking proportionate action in response to the risks. Inspection report for children's home: SC464762 4 Medication administration systems are well organised, and records are clear and accurate. As a result, there have been no medication errors.

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

No formal complaints have been received. When a parent raised a concern informally, the manager responded promptly and appropriately. This swift action helped resolve the issue and reassured the parent, demonstrating a commitment to listening and responding constructively to feedback.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate about providing good quality care to children and is supported by a dedicated assistant manager. Together, they make a strong leadership team. They demonstrate a strong commitment to understanding children as individuals and know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager advocates effectively on behalf of children. He recognises that behaviours may be an expression of unmet needs or children being unable to communicate their needs verbally. His advocacy ensures that children’s voices are considered, and their experiences are understood in a meaningful way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring systems are effective and provide leaders with good oversight of the quality of care provided. These systems support reflection on practice and help to identify strengths as well as areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable and experienced, which promotes consistency of care for children. New staff benefit from a thorough induction process that helps them understand their roles and responsibilities and the needs of the children they support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff receive regular supervision, which provides opportunities to reflect on their practice, discuss children’s progress and identify any support or training needs. This helps promote accountability and ensures standards of care and support are maintained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have not had annual appraisals. This is a missed opportunity for the manager and staff to reflect on their performance, development and learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has completed a review of the quality of care provided for children; however, this does not demonstrate that children’s views are considered as part of the review process. This limits leaders’ ability to evidence how children’s feedback informs the service’s development and evaluation. Strengthening this aspect of monitoring would further enhance oversight. Inspection report for children's home: SC464762 5

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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 registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 1 May 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should consider, and where appropriate increase, the opportunities available to children to participate in activities in the community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 40, paragraph 8.21)  The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and of children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report for children's home: SC464762 6

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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: SC464762 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, PO Box 15, Walsall WS1 1TP

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Inspector

Chrisoula Contoyianni, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC464762 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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