Children's Home run by Pilgrims Corner Limited in Kent

Unique reference number SC390156 Inspection date 24/01/2012 Inspector Sophie Wood Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 15/07/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

p.2

Brief description of the service

This private children's home provides for two young people aged between 5 years and 17 years.

p.3

The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

p.3

Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress.

p.3

Progress

The overall effectiveness of this service was judged satisfactory at the last full inspection in July 2011. The manager is completing her application for registration with Ofsted and the home currently employs a sufficient number of staff to meet the needs of the young people. Seven statutory requirements and five recommendations were made as a result of that visit. This inspection visit finds that the requirements and recommendations made from the last inspection are now met.

p.3

Progress

Requirements were made in terms of the home's written Statement of Purpose, health records, placement plans, the quality of record keeping, fire safety and quality assurance processes. Recommendations included individual risk assessments, pathway planning, learning and development opportunities for staff, procedural guidance and the home's development plan.

p.3

Progress

The Statement of Purpose has been reviewed and updated. Placing authorities and other stakeholders are assured that the information is clear and accurately describes the services offered by the home.

p.3

Progress

Health sections within care plan files have been reviewed and updated. Some historical information is still being chased by the manager but the overall quality of the health information in place has greatly improved. Young people benefit by having their health needs robustly monitored and they receive prompt, appropriate attention from external health professionals when this is needed.

p.3

Progress

Placement plans have been further developed. They now contain all of the required information and are consistent with placing authority care plans. The new format is better at capturing the views and opinions of young people. They are actively encouraged to contribute to the care planning process and their own review meetings. Such factors have a positive impact upon self-esteem and give young people a sense of control over major decisions affecting their lives.

p.4

Progress

The manager has conducted a review of the quality of record keeping within the home. The children's register is now up to date and provides accurate information. Duty rosters are clearer but some detail is still missing. This hampers the easy retrieval of information in the event of needing to know which staff were on duty at any particular time.

p.4

Progress

Young people are protected against the risk of fire. Systems for evacuation practices and the checking of equipment are clear. Additional fire doors provide better protection for the home.

p.4

Progress

Quality assurance processes conducted by the manager are continuing to develop. Revised formats with regards to regulation 33 and regulation 34 systems and visits are being trialled, as is the use of external consultants. Although in their infancy, such systems are becoming better at capturing the views of the young people and analysing the information in place. The service is better placed to make improvements, in the best interests of the young people as a result.

p.4

Progress

Updates with regards to a number of individual risk assessments include a better definition of the actual risks presented and their potential severity. Control measures are explicit and staff are better placed to effectively safeguard the young people because the prescribed guidance is clear.

p.4

Progress

Placement plan formats have been updated to include greater details with regards to pathway planning and leaving care. Young people are encouraged to take greater ownership and understanding of the skills and information they need to acquire to better equip them for the next stage in their lives.

p.4

Progress

Individual staff development plans are now attached to supervision and appraisal systems. Staff members are already benefitting from such developments and are being encouraged to think about and plan for their own development and continued training needs in the interests of providing an improved service for the young people.

p.4

Progress

A number of policies and procedures, such as health care guidance and child protection, have been revised and updated. Staff members are in receipt of clear and prescriptive guidance which provides improved safeguards. Young people are encouraged to take greater ownership of their own health care plans. Improvements to the formats and systems in place for regulation 33 and 34 monitoring have also led the organisation to instigate renewed formats and processes in terms of a service wide development plan. Senior managers demonstrate a clearer understanding of the gaps and omissions which currently prevent the service from achieving the best possible outcomes for the young people. A better understanding of the service's strengths and weaknesses are being shown. This has led to a review of management structures and the revision of the overall staff training matrix. Young people stand to receive an improved overall quality of

p.4

Progress

service provision because the organisation continues to respond positively to inspection findings and is becoming increasingly self-critical through the implementation of more robust internal monitoring systems.

p.5

Progress

Young people at this home benefit from improved consultation processes which seek to obtain their views and opinions about the quality of care they receive. Positive relationships exist between young people and the staff, whereby appropriate boundaries are reinforced in the best interests of maintaining everyone's safety and well being. The home demonstrates a clear desire to continue to improve and has worked hard to implement the requirements and recommendations made from its last inspection.

p.5

Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

p.5

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) maintain in the children’s home the records specified in Schedule 4 and ensure that they are kept up to date; specifically a record of the actual staff duty rosters as worked (Regulation 29 (1), Schedule 4) 20/03/2012

p.5

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

p.5

About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

p.6

About this inspection

The report details the progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011).

p.6