Children's Home run by Pilgrims Corner Limited in Kent

Inspection report children’s home: SC390167 1 SC390167 Registered provider: Pilgrims Corner Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This private children’s home provides accommodation for up to two young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. This home is part of a group of four homes owned by the same company.

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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: Declined in effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young person has developed trusting relationships with staff and benefits from their support and advice. Inspection report children’s home: SC390167 2  The young person is making positive changes to his behaviours.  Staff are supporting the young person into education and are providing a range of activities, which broaden his social experience.  The manager has a good oversight of the service and driving improvement.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Managers have admitted a young person with needs that are not specified within the home’s statement of purpose.  The statement of purpose does not contain accurate or up-to-date information.  Staff have not completed all of their mandatory training or training specific to the needs of the young person living at the home.  There is not a workforce development plan in place.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 15/11/2016 Full Good 27/01/2016 Interim Not judged 11/08/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC390167 3

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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, 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

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered persons must – (2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 16/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure– (2)(a) that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. 16/09/2017

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs. The Statement of Purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4). In particular, ensure that pre-admission assessments confirm how gaps in staff’s training and knowledge will be addressed.  The registered persons must ensure that appropriate forms of contact should be promoted and facilitated for each child, including where appropriate visits to the child in the home; visits by the child to relatives and/or friends; letters, emails and texts; use of social media and other forms of contact via the internet. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58,

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Recommendations

paragraph 11.18)  The registered person must ensure that there is a workforce plan in place, which contains the information required by guidance. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.8) Inspection report children’s home: SC390167 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is one young person living at the home. This is because of the provider and the placing authority assessment that the young person currently requires a single occupancy placement. This arrangement demonstrates the commitment and flexibility of the organisation in meeting the need and retaining one empty placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The process for determining whether the young person’s placement would be appropriate was well thought-through. An in-depth, pre-admission impact assessment identified that the staff team and home environment were appropriate for his needs. However, gaps in staff knowledge relating to some of the specific needs of the young person were not identified and actions to rectify this were not put in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Consistency and clear boundaries have enabled the young person to develop trusting relationships with staff. The young person feels safe and secure and is learning to take more responsibility for himself. As a result, he has not displayed previous difficult and risk-taking behaviours, including violent and aggressive outbursts. Staff support has helped the young person to develop his daily living and self-care skills in preparation for adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is not currently involved in full-time education. However, with the support of staff he has made some steps to improving upon his education by regular attendance at a stable yard and working towards an animal care qualification. The manager is actively working with all the relevant services to ensure that a full educational timetable is provided to enhance the young person’s future learning opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A range of activities are on offer to support the young person to try new things and widen his social experience. Staff encourage the young person to be active and pursue his interests and hobbies. Activities have included going to the beach and cinema, bowling, swimming and quad-biking.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person attends regular appointments with health professionals and is developing an understanding of how to keep himself fit and healthy. Staff are supporting the young person to reduce and eventually stop smoking with support from relevant medical professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Regular key-work sessions and resident meetings support positive relationships between the young person and his staff, and provide an opportunity for him to make suggestions and share his views on the quality of care provided.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote regular family contact, which enables the young person to keep family ties and maintain a sense of identity and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Access to the internet is not readily available to the young person. Currently, he must Inspection report children’s home: SC390167 5 ask to use the computer in the staff office, which may already be in use by staff. This prevents him from accessing the internet for his studies and does not provide the young person privacy when appropriate, to access emails or keep in contact with family or friends.

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

Good-quality up-to-date risk assessments that reflect the young person’s circumstances are in place. Staff are supporting the young person to understand what constitutes harm and learn to avoid risk-taking behaviour.

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

The young person currently living at the home described the home as ‘a lovely place’ and explained that he ‘gets on well with all the staff’ and being at the home is an opportunity ‘to get his head straight’. This comment is reflected within the young person’s records, which demonstrate that with staff support he is beginning to regulate his thoughts and emotions and this is leading to improvements in his behaviour. Staff provide consistent expectations and boundaries, while encouraging him to reflect on and understand the consequences of his actions. There has been a significant reduction in the young person’s violent outbursts as well as other risk-taking behaviours. Consequently, there has not been a need to use any physical intervention since the previous inspection.

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

There have been no safeguarding concerns since the previous inspection. There are appropriate procedures in place to guide staff if a child protection incident was to occur. Staff are suitably trained in safeguarding young people. The manager uses supervision to assess staff’s understanding of their responsibilities in keeping the young people safe and this ensures that they remain competent.

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

There have been incidents of previous young people in placement leaving the home without permission. Each young person has an individual protocol in place to be followed if they go missing. Staff respond quickly to inform the appropriate authorities and to take action to follow or find the young person. On return to the home, the young people are offered ‘return’ interviews with their social workers. This ensures that they can speak to an external person about the reasons for running away.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager has been in post since March 2017. She manages this home and its sister home next door. The manager is yet to submit an application to Ofsted to become registered in the role. She is in the process of completing the required level 5 diploma.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since coming into post, the manager has introduced new monitoring systems, which have provided her with a good oversight of all aspects of the service and, as a result, she has a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. The manager is driving improvement through the introduction of new quality assurance tools and a development plan. Recommendations for improvement made by an independent visitor aid the manager’s quality assurance processes. Inspection report children’s home: SC390167 6 The manager has developed effective links with partner agencies and uses her good knowledge of the young person to challenge other agencies, when necessary, to ensure that the young person’s needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No new members of staff have been employed since the previous inspection. The manager has a good understanding of safer recruitment to help ensure that only suitable staff are employed in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has taken action to ensure that staff have regular and effective supervision that supports their practice and professional development. The manager uses team meetings effectively to support staff and discuss the support provided to the young person in order to meet his needs and goals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Previously, the staff worked across two homes. The manager has taken action to ensure that members of staff are now allocated to one home only. The new arrangement has ensured that the young person receives consistent support from staff who know him well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not written a workforce development plan. Consequently, the inspector was unable to evaluate whether the organisation’s workforce training strategy covers the information required by guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have not had the required training to ensure that they have the necessary up-to- date knowledge and skills to care for the young person. Staff have not completed all their mandatory training and have not received training in areas specific to the young person’s needs. The absence of sufficient training may inhibit the staff’s ability to fully promote the well-being of the young person. Systems have been introduced to monitor staff’s training but these are yet to be embedded and improve practice.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

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 children’s home: SC390167 7 Inspection report children’s home: SC390167 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pilgrims Corner Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 5, The Links, Herne Bay, Kent CT6 7GQ

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Inspector

Melissa McMillan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC390167 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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