Children's Home run by Pilgrims Corner Limited in Kent

Unique reference number SC390167 Inspection date 01/05/2012 Inspector Mark Blesky Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 24/01/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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.

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Brief description of the service

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

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

This home provides good overall services with mostly good areas of practice. There is currently no Registered Manager in post, but an Acting Manager has been in post since February 2012 and an application is being processed by the home. An application has not been submitted to Ofsted.

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Overall effectiveness

Three requirements were made at the last inspection in January 2012. One has been fully addressed, but two requirements have only been partly addressed and not completed. These two partially met requirements relate to quality assurance systems in accordance with the Children's Homes Regulations 2001/2011. Quality assurance practice and procedures remain primary factors in developing and maintaining good standards of care.

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Overall effectiveness

In other areas of practice the acting manager provides good support to the staff and demonstrates some effective leadership qualities. Young people's healthcare is well managed and the home’s staff have made good links with partner agencies and health services to support the young people.

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Overall effectiveness

The manager and staff have high expectations for the young people's care and demonstrate warm and nurturing relationships. Young people are generally motivated and supported and the home promotes young people to be responsible for the decisions that they make. This is more evident in behaviour management practices where young people understand their rights, but also their responsibilities. Behaviour management is not punitive and staff demonstrate that they understand the young people and have good insights into young people's more diverse behaviours and needs. Young people benefit from regular attendance at school and they have all made progress in their education. Staff clearly support the school, however, it was less evident that the staff are using opportunities to promote education within the home.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are kept safe and their welfare is promoted, they are supported and become confident to understand their rights and to make their views known.

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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.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure visits undertaken on behalf of the provider include interviewing children accommodated there, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as appears necessary in order to form an opinion of the standard of care provided in the home. This requirement is made within the context of the need to establish and sustain good quality assurance systems (Regulation 33(4)(a)) 30/06/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the registered person establishes and maintains a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at appropriate intervals; and improving the quality of care provided in the children's home. (Regulations 34.1 (a) (b) 30/06/2012

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 ensure that each child’s placement plan is monitored by a key worker within the home who ensures that the requirements of the plan are implemented in the day-to-day care of that child (National Minimum Standards 25.2)  ensure children understand how their views have been taken into account, and where significant wishes or concerns are not acted upon, they are helped to understand why. (National Minimum Standards 1.2)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people form effective and warm relationships with staff based on trust and respect. Staff engage with young people and this encourages them to take responsibility for themselves and develop self control. Key working and day-to-day support enable young people to understand why they are being looked after and how they can achieve their goals and aims. In this way young people are well supported by staff and empowered to take control of their own lives.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people maintain good health through understanding and choosing healthy lifestyles and regularly attend healthcare appointments. Activities and sport are offered to the young people. This encourages them to consider their health, development and how lifestyle choices may impact on this. Activities and engagement within the wider community is encouraged and young people benefit and use these opportunities to mix with peers and other people independent of the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from well managed and consistent school attendance and young people have made progress since attending school. Staff in the home support young people with preparing and returning from school along with homework and after school activities.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy contact with friends and family, this is carefully arranged and supported by staff. Key working and other day-to-day discussions enable young people to discuss and agree contact arrangements and any support that they may need. Where contact is supervised, the staff are sensitive in their support of this. Beneficial elements of the contact are identified and promoted by staff making further sessions pleasant and enjoyable.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Life skills and preparation for independence training and support is provided to ensure young people understand and can plan for their independence. Young people are encouraged to take on tasks and learn new skills through support and guidance with staff. Formal planning for independence is undertaken with agreement with the social worker. Young people are engaged in this planning process in order that they can make choices and effectively make their views known.

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Quality of care

Young people are supported well by staff that know them and understand their needs. Relationships in the home are warm and respectful and children’s needs are put first. Staff ensure that all aspects of the young people's care and welfare is recorded, discussed with them and features in their day-to-day plans.

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Quality of care

Young people gain self-control and confidence as the home encourages young people to make decisions about their care and discuss with staff their progress and development. Key working sessions provide a formal meeting where young people discuss any concerns or matters that they feel are important. Young people are supported as individuals with diverse needs and views and are used at these meetings effectively. Positive behaviour is encouraged, and generally successful, as young people receive the support and guidance specific to their behaviour. Young people benefit from support that is tailored to their need and abilities. It was noted that while key working is beneficial and supportive to young people's development, records of the sessions are somewhat vague. Staff are not always capturing the salient and most relevant elements of the discussions in records and therefore information is not being effectively communicated to the other staff.

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Quality of care

Young people use house meetings to communicate their views and influence the running of the home. Young people have influenced matters such as menus, activities and decoration of the home. Young people are encouraged to raise any issues and where it is not possible to meet that request, it is explained clearly to the young people. It was noted that some records of the house meetings had failed to capture the essence of the discussions and records did not make clear how some decisions had been made. Young people may fail to understand how their views have been taken into account with records that are unclear. It is acknowledged that this matter is under review and agreement was reached as to this shortfall.

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Quality of care

Young people make their views known to staff and demonstrate the confidence to make representations and complaints. Formal complaints are uncommon and this appears to be as a result of effective relationships and attentive staff. During the inspection relationships were observed and staff encouraged young people to make their views known.

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Quality of care

Effective risk assessment of young people ensures good opportunities where young people are engaged in a process that protects them and supports them to manage their welfare.

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Quality of care

Young people are well supported by effective care planning. Placement plans and care plans are well maintained and regularly reviewed. The care planning and placement planning process has recently been reviewed and detailed and comprehensive planning is in place. Young people are consulted regularly about matters that influence or effect their planning and young people use these opportunities to contribute and discuss their plans. Plans are highly individualised and promote individual choice and support more diverse needs. Plans demonstrate the support of young people with differing abilities and goals. Young people are given the best opportunity to achieve their aims by this well managed planning.

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Quality of care

Young people that do not attend main stream schooling attend a school that is linked to the home. This school works very hard to support the young people and this has promoted and benefitted the young people's education. The school constantly monitors the young people's progress and then plans and deliverers learning effectively. This has provided measurable benefits for the young people and good progress has been made. It was noted that while the school is making good progress and supporting the young people, the home was less engaged in this process. Communication is regular between the home and school and the home updates the school appropriately, however the home does appear somewhat dislocated from the educational role. There is little evidence that staff in the home are referencing educational progress or weaknesses which might inform their practices. It was noted that the home did not appear aware of areas where weakness in literacy, numeracy

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Quality of care

or where behaviour may impact on learning.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from support and services both within the home and community based health services. Good and effective liaison is evident in this home and staff are aware of how to identify and access professional support. Close working has resulted in young people receiving timely assessments and programmes of health support.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are made aware of risks and safety and instruction and guidance is given to the young people about keeping themselves safe. To ensure young people are able to understand risk, they are supported by a risk assessment. This activity effectively engages the young people to consider their behaviour and decisions that they make and how this may impact on risk.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are made aware of their rights and presented with a young people's guide which is explained to them. With this support young people gain a better understanding of their rights and responsibilities and they are able to make better informed and safer choices.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected by procedures and practice that is in place in the home to keep young people safe from bullying and intimidation. The home maintains an anti-bullying strategy where staff aim to be both proactive, identify situations where bullying may occur, and support any young person who becomes a victim. Any incident of bullying is recorded separately from day-to-day events and taken directly to the acting manager. In this way prompt actions by staff prevent any repeated episodes of this nature.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people rarely go missing from this home, but if they do, rigorous procedures are in place to search, report and return the young person back to the home and keep them safe. The missing person's procedures have very recently been updated and this is to reflect both a procedure review, and also to respond to a particular need that has arisen. The new procedures are clear, comprehensive and very detailed with supporting information to better assist the police and related agencies.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home uses effective measures to improve and promote positive behaviour. Young people's needs are understood by all staff and this enables staff to create the best environment for the young person to perform and develop. Care plans and placement plans provide all staff with a clear picture of each young person. Young people benefit from plans that detail their areas of strength and the areas where they require more support or increased guidance. Behaviour is therefore well managed and young people typically have positive outcomes. When behaviour management needs more structure or control, there are adequate numbers of experienced staff to address this and work one to one with the young person. During the inspection such an event occurred and the acting manager promptly put comprehensive and effective measures in place to increase staffing and address the matter. Physical intervention is deployed only when there are clear risks to welfare.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Such interventions are not commonly used because staff engage effectively with the young people which typically prevents matters escalating. Young people therefore benefit from effective behaviour control that is designed to meet their individual and diverse needs. Control is not punitive, but used as part of the supportive and respectful relationships that are developed with the young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All staff are recruited through an experienced and established recruitment panel. Principles of safeguarding and protection of the young people are central to this process. No staff member works with any young person until the responsible individual is satisfied that they are safe and appropriate to support the young person.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Safeguarding procedures are in place so staff are aware of the action to take in the event of an allegation being made to ensure that all the young people are protected. Procedures meet the expectations of the local authority and all such incidents are overseen by the safeguarding co-ordinator. Allegations are uncommon and there are no ongoing reported incidents. All staff benefit from mandatory training to ensure that they are conversant with the principles of safeguarding and promoting welfare. Young people are safer as a result of staff having knowledge and an understanding of keeping them safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are kept safe by fire safety risk assessment and health and safety risk assessments which are carried out on the building and periodically reviewed. Risk assessment is specifically carried out regarding environmental characteristics that may impact on risk. Young people benefit from a well-kept home and a maintenance team are employed by the company to prioritise repairs and maintenance relevant to risk.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Fire safety evacuation drills are carried out regularly and all staff receive mandatory training in this area to ensure that young people and staff are aware of emergency action to be taken.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are adequate .

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Leadership and management

The home is adequately managed in most respects by the acting manager, but there is no Registered Manager in post. The acting manager has been in post since February 2012 and although an application is being prepared it has not yet been submitted.

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Leadership and management

The staff team are being managed and supervised effectively in most respects. The supervision of staff supports their development and enables them to provide support and good care to the young people.

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Leadership and management

Staff are knowledgeable of core care practices and training programmes are in place to ensure their continued development. Additional training is in place to meet the assessed needs of the young people and the acting manager confirmed that training is sourced promptly to meet more specific needs that are presented.

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Leadership and management

Three requirements were made at the last inspection. One has been fully addressed and two have been partly addressed, although not completed. A review has been undertaken and the responsible individual has taken action to address all matters that relate to schedule 4 and records and procedures reflect this. The acting manager was asked to ensure that regulation 33 visits were conducted and recorded in a manner that provided consultation with parties as appears necessary in order to form an opinion of the standard of care provided.

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Leadership and management

The acting manager has a system in place to survey and communicate with parties, but this is unrelated to the regulation 33 process. Information provided which may be useful is not being incorporated or present in the regulation 33 process. It therefore fails to evidence the influence of views or allow an opinion of the standard of care provided in the home to be formed.

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Leadership and management

The acting manager was also asked to implement and maintain an effective system for monitoring and improving the quality of care provided in the home. Monitoring is in place and this meets the expectations of this regulation. However, there is no formal system in place for improving the quality of care provided in the children's home maintained in accordance with regulation 34 Children's Homes Regulations 2001/2011.

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Leadership and management

Two recommendations were also made at the last inspection to ensure that a development plan was in place in the home and that staff training and evaluation is intrinsic to staff development and support. These two recommendations have been addressed.

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Leadership and management

The home maintains and regularly reviews a Statement of Purpose that makes clear the objectives of the home and the services that are provided to the young people within the home. The staff are clear about the aims of the home and more specifically they are aware of the needs of each individual young person. Young people understand their rights and the standard of care they can receive through staff support and each young person receives a children's guide.

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Leadership and management

Care planning and placement planning is of a good standard and plans support the young people well. Planning is highly individualised and provides young people the best opportunity to develop and reach assessed goals.

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Leadership and management

Health and safety procedures protect the young people and minimise risk in the home. There are adequate numbers of staff in the home to support the young people and there are effective systems to provide increased support in more urgent situations.

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Leadership and management

Significant events are reported to the appropriate agency promptly and the home’s staff have established good and effective relationships with core agencies. This is particularly evident in terms of education and health.

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Leadership and management

Networking and effective communication with specific agencies supports young people in gaining the services that are most important to them. Young people are further supported by clear and well managed records that are in place relating to their individual and the more diverse aspects of their care.

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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.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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