Children's home run by PJL Healthcare Limited in Wealden

Good

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

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Relationships between staff and young people are excellent. This facilitates open and honest communication. Staff know young people very well. They understand and meet their needs. A social worker said, ‘I couldn’t ask for anything more from the staff: they are brilliant’.  The registered manager and all staff champion each young person. They ensure that young people receive the services that they need, and that decisions made are in their best interests.  Safeguarding of young people is exceptional. Staff keep young people safe and help them to learn to keep themselves safe. Safeguarding is proactive, addressing issues before they arise. This maximises young people’s safety.  Staff implement high-quality risk assessments which protect young people, and enable them to take manageable risks to develop their independence.  Young people make good progress. Innovative reward schemes enable young people to understand and engage with the goals that they are

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The children’s home provision is good because:

working towards, and they understand the progress that they are making.  Young people enjoy wide-ranging opportunities in their local community. They take part in sponsored walks and fundraising events, and support food bank projects. Young people develop empathy and belonging through engagement with their community.  There are two areas for improvement, addressed by recommendations. Not all staff understand young people’s educational levels and targets. This lack of understanding diminishes their ability to support young people’s educational progress. Sanctions used in the home are appropriate and constructive. However, it is not clear that all young people understand their sanctions or that their views contribute to sanction planning.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to understand each child’s education and training targets and their next steps for training, and keep records of each child’s educational progress. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 5.11)  Ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature to help children to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves and other children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that children understand what sanctions are used and why they are used.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children with learning difficulties

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 04/05/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 06/10/15 Full Good

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Good

Young people develop secure relationships and a sense of belonging. Staff value and listen actively to young people’s views. Their opinions influence decision making, including on staff recruitment, holidays and activities, and the introduction of pets into the home.

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Good

Staff advocate strongly on young people’s behalf, ensuring that they receive the services and support that they require. Individualised services, including specialist health assessments, are sought as required. Young people are in good health, and their health improves due to the care that they are given. A looked after children’s nurse said, ‘We have very good communication. The home is very good at promoting positive health outcomes for children’.

p.6

Good

All young people are engaged in education suited to their needs. Staff work in partnership with young people’s schools, support their attendance, and provide a clear structure and support for homework. Not all staff demonstrate an understanding of young people’s current progress and educational next steps. This limits their ability to monitor progress or to provide challenge when young people are not making the expected progress.

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Good

Individualised reward programmes effectively support young people’s progress. Young people are actively engaged in working towards their identified goals and select their rewards. Alongside rewards, appropriate sanctions help young people to reflect upon and modify their behaviour. Staff consult carefully with young people upon sanction use, but for one young person evidence did not demonstrate how their views influenced sanctions or their understanding of sanction decision- making.

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Good

Staff work hard to engage young people in activities that they enjoy. All young people undertake their preferred recreational activities. The home has proactive links with local charities, enabling young people to take part in charity walks, cake sales and food banks. Young people build their confidence, self-esteem and sense of belonging through successful community engagement. Their achievements are widely celebrated.

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Good

Staff work constructively with young people’s families. A parent said, ‘It is a lovely home environment, and all the staff are helpful and respectful’. Staff value and promote young people’s identity and heritage. One young person went on holiday with staff to her country of birth to learn about her heritage. Staff support the holistic needs of each young person. They value each young person and encourage young people to value themselves.

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Outstanding

Safeguarding in the home is exceptional. All staff have up-to-date safeguarding training, and it is their thorough application of this knowledge that successfully protects the young people. All instances of safeguarding and welfare concerns have received an immediate, effective response.

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Outstanding

Young people develop trusted relationships with staff. They share their concerns and receive the advice and support that they require. Observations during the inspection were of staff demonstrating caring, open and responsive interactions with young people. Such practice encourages young people to seek out the help that they need. As a result, they are learning to make safer choices.

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Outstanding

The home has strong links with the local police missing person’s coordinator. Individual ‘missing’ safety plans are in place to protect young people in the event that they go missing. Successful proactive strategies encourage young people to remain in this safe environment. There have been no incidents of young people going missing.

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Outstanding

Clear and informative risk assessments provide staff with explicit guidance to keep young people safe. In addition, risk assessments are enabling, allowing young people to take age-appropriate risks to develop their independence.

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Outstanding

The home has proactive links with specialist agencies to support young people’s online safety. Each young person undertakes an individualised programme of online safety training, learning about potential risks and how to keep safe online. A social worker said, ‘She is well supported on the internet and is learning to keep herself safe. This is a big thing for her.’ Staff actively protect young people with identified child sexual exploitation risks, and they are effectively safeguarded.

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Outstanding

Staff provide clear and consistent boundaries to achieve positive behaviour change. A social worker said: ‘Staff are managing her behaviour. They have maintained boundaries, and this is what she needs.’ Any use of restraint is only after de- escalation has been attempted and is according to regulation. Careful monitoring of restraint includes young people’s comments. Thorough management oversight protects young people.

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Outstanding

Staff manage conflict between young people successfully with a focus upon restorative intervention, developing young people’s understanding and tolerance. Young people are confident to express their views. They understand and use the home’s complaints process. The registered manager takes complaints seriously, ensuring an effective response. Health and safety in the home are well monitored, and maintenance is completed without delay. The home is decorated and furnished to a high standard, providing a high-quality safe environment for young people, staff and visitors.

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Good

A dynamic and effective manager leads this home. Registered for one year, she is currently completing her level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare.

p.8

Good

A full, permanent staff team provides good-quality care. The recruitment of new staff follows safe recruitment practice which seeks to protect the young people. Induction of new staff is comprehensive and meets individual need. Staff are highly trained to meet the needs of the young people in the home. All staff have completed, or are currently undertaking, the level 3 diploma for residential childcare.

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Good

The registered manager and all staff receive effective supervision and appraisal. One member of staff said: ‘Supervision is brilliant. My manager is really good at getting me to think about issues, and gives me feedback and advice. She helps me to learn and progress.’ Staff feel listened to and valued. A member of staff said, ‘I feel really supported by senior management and wouldn’t think twice about raising an issue or making a suggestion.’

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Good

The registered manager has thorough oversight of the home. Her management monitoring is effective and results in swift action to address any issues or concerns. Internal monitoring is augmented by scrupulous external monitoring, providing additional quality assurance.

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Good

The statement of purpose clearly sets out the aims and objectives of the home, and underpins child-centred decisions concerning young people coming to live at the home. Referral matching has been recently improved, giving greater consideration to the needs of young people already living at the home and promoting stability for both new and existing young people.

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Good

Young people’s care plans are comprehensive and successfully address their identified needs. Young people receive support to participate in their care review meetings and to contribute to decision making. Their progress is monitored and care plans are reviewed when progress is not in line with expectation. Staff present a fervent challenge when plans and decisions are not in young people’s best interests. Staff work in constructive partnership with external services. They are proactive in seeking and obtaining the services that young people need. Local authority social workers give positive feedback about working with the home. One social worker said: ‘I have been nothing but impressed. They did research and sought support from other agencies. They understand her needs completely and work brilliantly with me.’

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’. An outstanding children’s home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children’s home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children’s home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements

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What the inspection judgements mean

are in place, however, the children’s home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children’s home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children’s home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. the guidance, ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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