Children's Home run by Pilgrims Corner Limited in Kent

Unique reference number SC390167 Inspection date 02/05/2013 Inspector Mark Blesky Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 17/12/2012 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 accommodation for up to two young people who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality 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 mostly good outcomes for young people with adequate leadership and management. Care is well planned, with young people's needs being understood and valued by staff. Behaviour is positively influenced by staff who respect and support young people's rights and opinions. This results in behaviour being effectively managed by negotiation and encouragement, rather than through sanctioning.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people design and develop their own care plans alongside their formal planning and staff encourage them to understand, consider and influence their own care. This makes care planning engaging and constructive and young people feel valued by the process. Care planning is personalised and individualised, capturing the more diverse and individual aspects of the young person. This results in young people being understood and their strengths encouraged and promoted.

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Overall effectiveness

Relationships are central to the care and staff members achieve much progress by using these co-operative and respectful strategies. Young people know they are safe and trust the staff to keep them safe. All young people are encouraged to contribute to their risk assessments and understand how risk is managed. This results in young people understanding and contributing to their own safety.

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Overall effectiveness

The Statement of Purpose provides information about the services and care that is provided within the home. However, some areas are not up to date and require revision. Any reviews of the Statement of Purpose should be notified to Her Majesty's Chief Inspector (HMCI) in accordance with the regulations. The home has carried out periodic reviews and has updated and improved the quality of care through this process. Improvements in care planning, key working and promoting health are evident. This has improved services for young people and their quality of care in these areas. However, the manager’s and independent visitor’s systems for monitoring the quality of care are not always used effectively.

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Overall effectiveness

Monitoring in some areas is detailed and comprehensive. However, where some shortfalls are noted, action is not always being taken to address these in practice. It is acknowledged that no direct safeguarding concerns have resulted. However, this leaves quality assurance systems weaker and less likely to result in improvements in the quality of care for young people.

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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 that registered person shall compile in relation to the children's home a written Statement of Purpose, which shall consist of a statement as to the matters listed in Schedule 1 (Regulation 4.1) 31/07/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) keep under review and, where appropriate, revise the Statement of Purpose and the children's guide and notify HMCI of any such revision within 28 days (Regulation 5 (a-b)) 31/07/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) interview, with their consent and in private, such of the 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 (Regulation 33.4 (a)) 31/07/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the registered person shall establish and maintain a system for improving the quality of care provided in the children's home. (Regulation 34.1 (b)) 31/07/2013

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people form and sustain relationships with staff which provide them with the confidence to express their views and opinions. Young people design their own care plans, which they feel best reflect their needs and wishes. These are considered alongside formal care planning. This results in young people expressing how they wish to be cared for and also enables them to consider all aspects of their care.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s health is well supported and maintained. Robust systems of healthcare monitoring result in regular check-ups and health interventions. A healthy diet is promoted, with young people making appropriate choices within healthy options. Young people are encouraged to consider how their lifestyle impacts on their health. This helps to ensure that young people have a good understanding and make informed choices in their healthcare.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have improved their educational attendance and learning achievements. They benefit from regular weekly meetings between the home’s staff and the school. Consequently, young people’s education is closely monitored and they receive prompt and effective support from the school and home. Young people have greater opportunities for learning and achievement as a result of this support.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged to engage in activities within the local community. Clubs and hobbies are identified and young people use these opportunities to develop friendships with their peers. This enables young people to both partake and become included within local events.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have opportunities to meet with friends and family. They benefit from practical and emotional support to facilitate positive contact. This results in young people feeling confident in expressing their views about contact, so that they are able to enjoy planned meetings with their friends and family.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All young people are encouraged to consider learning skills in self-care and in preparation for adulthood. Staff members support young people, teaching practical skills and helping them understand budgeting, finance and social skills. Each young person’s placement plan includes preparation for adulthood and young people are further supported through one-to-one and key working. This results in young people becoming aware of the importance of learning core skills for future independence.

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Quality of care

Young people are engaged in supportive and beneficial relationships with staff who understand their needs and value them. Young people are supported to express their views and take a role in shaping and developing the home. Children's meetings and key-working sessions ascertain the young people’s views and opinions and these are discussed to inform the staff’s practice. Staff use young people’s views about their care, insightfully adapting and developing plans to best meet their needs.

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Quality of care

Young people are protected by a complaints procedure that they understand and feel confident to use. All complaints and representations are taken seriously and young people believe that their concerns are acted upon. All staff are confident in reporting complaints on behalf of young people. Placement planning is regularly monitored and detailed assessments ensure that young people's needs are understood. The home has recently introduced young people’s planning. This practice involves the staff member assisting the young person to create and express their own ideas and plans. This allows effective engagement of the young person, enabling them to think about what is important to them.

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Quality of care

Young people's health is well managed and all young people are promptly registered with core healthcare services. Regular attendance results in young people having their day-to-day and individual healthcare needs met. Young people choose healthy diets and staff effectively promote healthy living. As a result, young people understand and make healthy lifestyle choices.

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Quality of care

Young people regularly attend school; they sustain good attendance and their learning improves. The home has a dedicated school for the young people, with close and effective liaison resulting between the home and school. Regularly weekly meetings are held between the manager and the head teacher to ensure oversight of the young people's education. Young people’s education benefits from this sustained support and encouragement.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from hobbies and pastimes that offer them opportunities for leisure and to take part in activities within the wider community. Staff are proactive and creative in supporting and encouraging young people in this pursuit. As a result, young people have greater opportunities to engage and learn how to enjoy leisure. Young people say that the staff members really encourage them to join clubs and hobbies.

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Quality of care

The home is well maintained and breakages and repairs are addressed promptly. The home provides a pleasant and homely environment which is respected and valued by the young people.

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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 say that they are safe and feel safe. Young people know that the staff members care about them; understand their needs and protect them. Relationships between staff and the young people are warm and trusting. This enables young people to share their concerns and worries. Equally, staff have very positive relationships with young people. As a result, staff engage with young people and articulate to them the importance of their safety and protection.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All staff receive mandatory training which has increased their knowledge and understanding of exploitation, abuse and bullying. Staff have learnt to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse and are better able to protect young people as a result.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Any allegations or suspicions of abuse are effectively managed through established reporting procedures. Staff understand their role in the protection and safeguarding of young people and the role of the local authority and other agencies. This helps to ensure young people’s safety.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people rarely go missing, but if they do they are returned quickly. Staff are vigilant and recognise emotional and behavioural characteristics that can lead to young people going missing. They are resourceful and insightful in addressing these matters and the actions taken have resulted in infrequent episodes of short duration.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Behaviour management is successful and staff have promoted good behaviour through their close relationships with the young people. Formal behaviour management structures are known and understood by staff, but good behaviour flourishes through, communication, respect and negotiation. Young people that may have previously exhibited more negative and disruptive behaviours, demonstrate improved and sustained positive and settled behaviours. Young people's behaviour is more positive as a result of good behaviour management and support.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All staff are employed through the company’s formal and established recruitment panel. All vetting, reference checking and statutory checks are completed in a timely manner and staff do not work with young people until all checks are complete. The manager and deputy manager are also engaged in the recruitment along with the young people in the home. This results in young people and staff expressing their individual views, exploring the new applicants more diverse characteristics and getting to know them better prior to their employment.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Risk assessments are conducted in the home and the young people are looked after in an environment which is physically safe and appropriately secure, taking account of the needs and characteristics of the young people. Young people are also consulted within this process, which support them to be responsible and enables them to minimise risk for themselves. As a result the home is more risk aware, than risk adverse, and risk taking is appropriately minimised and reduced, keeping young people safer.

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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 managed effectively. Staff have confidence and respect for the manager and are clear of their roles and the expectations placed upon them. Staff say that the manager is approachable and hands-on and as a result, she understands the needs of the young people and staff. This results in close working relationships and shared understanding.

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Leadership and management

Complaints are uncommon in the home. Staff are aware of the home’s whistle blowing policy and are confident to act as advocates to articulate on behalf of the young people. All staff receive guidance on raising representations and complaints and this equips them to promote an open culture. One recommendation was made at the last interim inspection in December 2012, in relation to key-working practices. The manager and staff have addressed this matter fully and an enhanced key- working process is in place which captures the young people’s views and needs.

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Leadership and management

Improvement has been made in risk assessment, which is now more focussed and diverse, resulting in better assessment of young people's safety. Recruitment has become more focussed on young people the staff and the aims of the home. This has resulted in young people and staff having a greater role in recruiting the most appropriate staff members for the home.

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Leadership and management

The home maintains a Statement of Purpose detailing the services and support that the home will provide to young people. This document is available to and understood by staff and children and reflected in policies, procedures and guidance. However, the Statement of Purpose is not currently up to date in some areas. It is also evident that the last reviewed statement has not been notified to HMCI in accordance with the regulations.

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Leadership and management

Regulation 33 monitoring by an independent person is regularly undertaken. However, successive Regulation 33 inspections of the home have repeatedly raised the same areas of shortfall. Action plans are not always set for the manager and therefore, areas of weakness are not monitored. There is limited evidence that interviews with young people and staff are used effectively to evaluate the standard of care provided in the home.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager’s Regulation 34 monitoring includes regular and comprehensive recording of events and documents within the home. However, there is evidence that monitoring and shortfalls are not always addressed.

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Leadership and management

There are adequate numbers of experienced staff to meet the young people’s needs. All staff benefit from training that is related to their childcare roles. Training is mandatory in key areas of care, with additional training identified through supervision or appraisal. Other training that is specific to young people's more diverse needs is also provided. Staff say that training provides them with insights and greater understanding of young people and their needs. Staff use the skills that they have developed through training to enhance their care of the young people. Key working and healthcare are two areas where training has increased confidence and knowledge. This has resulted in young people's needs being better understood and met.

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Leadership and management

Young people's personal files are well managed and up to date, contributing to an understanding of their life experiences and plans for the future. Files are kept securely and have recently been reviewed. The review has provided a clearer picture of each young person, with greater focus on more individual and diverse characteristics. This means that young people benefit from individual files that capture and plan for their individual needs and identities.

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Leadership and management

All significant events relating to the protection of children accommodated in the home are notified to the relevant authorities. Appropriate action is taken following the incident. Prompt notification ensures that young people's protection is well managed and safeguarded.

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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 and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of children's homes.

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