Children's home run by Priory Education Services Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1245982 1 Registered provider: Priory Education Services 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 home is part of a private organisation and is registered to accommodate up to six young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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: Inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 20 and 21 June 2017, this home was judged to be inadequate. As a result, Ofsted served a notice restricting accommodation and two compliance notices. The compliance notices related to leadership and management and child protection.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit was undertaken on 8 August 2017 to review the provider’s progress in meeting regulations. The two compliance notices and other statutory requirements were met and the restriction of accommodation was lifted. Inspection report children’s home: 1245982 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The new management team is fully committed to driving improvement. Tenacity and strategic planning are key factors in how the staff team has been managed and worked with to address the inadequate judgement from the last full inspection.  Young people credit their progress and new-found confidence to the trusting and positive relationships they now experience with staff.  Young people experience an improved sense of safety because safeguarding strategies are consistently implemented with excellent partnership working. Episodes of going missing, risks of child sexual exploitation and self-injurious behaviours have significantly reduced.  The management team and the staff work tirelessly to ensure that young people have, and attend, appropriate education placements. All young people have addressed their inconsistent education attendance. They have a good awareness of the importance of learning and working towards their true

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Key findings from this inspection

potential.  Young people’s physical and emotional health lies at the centre of staff practice. Young people enjoy good physical health. They are happy and settled, as staff nurture young people’s emotional fragility, helping them to have a greater sense of well-being.  Consultation with young people is a strength. Young people feel valued and they have a strong sense of belonging, as they are consistently consulted about their care, their futures and the running of the home.

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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

 Ensure that agency staff have the required qualifications for looking after children in residential care.  Ensure that agency staff training reflects and complements the training profiles of permanent staff working in the home.  Continue to develop child-focused recording.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/06/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 1245982 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure external agency staff meet the requirements in regulation 32(4) regarding mandatory qualifications and consider their skills, qualifications and any induction necessary before they commence work in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.16)  Ensure staff encourage young people to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. This is with particular regard to the quality of key working records. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.19)  Ensure staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and they understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that

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Recommendations

distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people report a significant improvement in their experiences, the running of the home, relationships with staff and outcomes since the last inspection. Comments include, ‘The home is much better. Everything is calmer. The staff talk about things now and I don’t get so angry.’ Positive relationships with staff result in young people becoming more emotionally resilient and reflective about their behaviour. Young people say staff speak to them with more respect and are calmer. They say that there are fewer incidents because they feel more understood. Young people also experience positive role modelling from the managers and staff. Young people quickly pick up and replicate how staff interact with them and how outcomes are better when they talk about things. Young people seek out staff to discuss their thoughts rather than presenting negative behaviours to let staff know that they are frustrated or unhappy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Meaningful key-working sessions, day-to-day discussions and young people’s meetings help young people explore their behaviours, emotions and the tensions that can arise from group living. Young people are encouraged to think about others and develop Inspection report children’s home: 1245982 4 important qualities such as empathy. They grow in confidence and are more able, with clear staff support, to resolve conflicts. There is a significant decrease in incidents of bullying in the home. Young people thrive as the whole staff team provides a nurturing environment. For example, the cook and her kitchen is a focal point for young people when they return from school, both in terms of talking about their day and checking whether their favourite meals are on offer. Mealtime planning gives full consideration to young people’s preferences, cultural needs and lots of encouragement to eat healthily. Young people grow in self-esteem as they re-engage with and enjoy education. They

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

fully appreciate that the manager and staff work tirelessly to ensure that they have appropriate education placements. Attendance improves as staff facilitate positive morning routines and reinforce clear expectations about the requirement for young people to have an education. As a result, young people with histories of non-school attendance are now engaging with learning. Young people and staff pull together in the day-to-day practical running of the home. Cooking together and having responsibility for the upkeep of bedrooms gives young people positive opportunities to contribute to the home, enjoy group living and develop valuable independence skills. Involvement in creating their own risk plans also enables young people to develop independence. For example, gradual and well-measured plans support young people to go out with friends, visit family members, and earn trust to better manage their own free

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

time. Older young people develop in maturity as they take more responsibility for their budgeting and cooking. They have key-working sessions, which focus on how to prepare to live independently away from the home. Young people thrive because they, with staff support, attend health appointments, enjoy healthy eating and take part in a range of activities, which keep them fit. Young people’s emotional health needs are addressed with good liaison with, and input from, mental health professionals. Young people live in a homely and well-maintained environment. They have a good sense of belonging with personalised bedrooms, where they can enjoy their own space. Communal areas are much improved, with new décor and soft furnishings. Young people develop a good sense of belonging and investment in the physical fabric of the building as they help choose colours and themes for the redecoration programme which is taking

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

Young people feel safe and cared for as their needs are set out and met via a comprehensive and regularly reviewed care planning framework. Young people’s safety is closely monitored by staff. Managers are quick to respond to and report any concerns. These timely interventions and immediate liaison with social workers and multi-agency safeguarding networks ensure young people’s safety. Improved risk assessment processes now give staff clear insight into the needs of young Inspection report children’s home: 1245982 5 people. Recent safeguarding training provides an informed backdrop for staff to effectively identify, manage and report concerns. Regular reviews, updates and liaison with social workers ensure that strategies are contemporary and agreed as per the placing authority’s plans. The positive impact of this collaborative approach can be clearly seen, with reductions in self-injurious behaviours,

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

less missing from home episodes, and an increase in safe and appropriate contact between young people and family members. There are no current child protection concerns at the home. Young people who are deemed at risk of child sexual exploitation now adhere to and embrace the strong boundaries for going out, keeping in contact and returning on time. The team’s vigilance and in-depth understanding of risk, triggers for behaviour, and partnership working keep young people safe. Risk management strategies to support young people’s self-injurious behaviours are openly discussed and agreed with young people. One young person says that her ‘soothe box’ and, most importantly, having better relationships with staff, help self-regulation. The young person and staff are immensely proud of this improving emotional resilience. The young person’s growing sense of self-determination and personal responsibility has been suitably rewarded with

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

two pet guinea pigs, which take pride of place in her bedroom. Staff training and close monitoring by the management team ensure that physical intervention is only used as a last resort to keep young people and others safe. Improved behaviour management, with a clear focus on de-escalation and positive reinforcement, is reflected in the low levels of physical intervention in the home. Young people are protected with effective recruitment procedures. High regard for health and safety ensures that all staff take responsibility for keeping children, young people and themselves safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has not had a permanent registered manager since the end of June 2017. Interim management arrangements and support from senior leaders have been very effective in driving improvement. A new manager is now in place and her application to register with Ofsted is being processed. Improvements across all aspects of operation of the home are strategically planned and implemented. The management team is measured and realistic in setting and achieving goals for improvement. The title of the home’s workforce plan, ‘striving for a competent, confident and compassionate team’, sums up the ethos of the management team. Staff training has improved the competency of staff. Strong role modelling and staff supervision bring confidence to the staff team. The management team’s emphasis on embedding a child-centred care planning framework brings compassion and empathy to staff practice. This service operates according to the home’s statement of purpose, which is kept under

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

constant review by the management team. Staffing arrangements are well managed. Young people experience a good sense of permanence and continuity as the staff team Inspection report children’s home: 1245982 6 remains stable. Agency staff are well integrated into the staff team. The key focus on staff training ensures that young people are looked after by very experienced and suitably qualified staff. However, although the two agency staff complement staffing arrangements, there is lack of clarity in their personal files about the detail of their level three qualification. A range of on-line training keeps staff up to date on social care issues. The home’s workforce plan and training matrixes give full information about the competencies of staff. This is an excellent management tool for tracking and arranging timely refresher courses. However, records of agency staff qualifications and training lack detail.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report a marked improvement in the home. New staff say they are welcomed and quickly feel part of the team due to good induction and positive staff team relationships. Staff appreciate the direction and feedback that they receive from the management team. One member of staff commented, ‘We are well supported. We are given good, clear instructions and guidance. We are keeping on top of what we need to do. Now we can ask about anything and we get an answer.’ Another member of staff said, ‘Both managers show good practice. They are helping us so much as a team. They are child focused and make sure all bases are covered.’ Partnership working is a key strength in the positive outcomes experienced by young people. Staff work in conjunction with young people, social workers and a range of education and health agencies to plan and support young people’s current and future placements. Recording in the home is much improved. Managers have driven improvement in the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

quality of key-working records. They acknowledge that the child-centred approach to recording needs further development. This will mean that young people will gain a full understanding of their experiences of being looked after at the home. The manager and staff value young people’s views and complaints are effectively addressed. Young people experience a clear sense of safety and confidence because they believe they are listened to. They believe that the management team will sort out their worries. Staff are also good advocates for young people and offer support so that young people feel confident about voicing their views regarding the support that they receive from their social workers. The management team works in open partnership with Ofsted and safeguarding agencies. Concerns about young people’s welfare are routinely notified and demonstrate that appropriate safeguarding action is taken. The management team has a clear understanding of its monitoring responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are quick to address feedback from independent monitoring reports. For example, the managers and staff are currently reviewing the home’s medication procedures in light of comments from a recent independent monitoring visit. Three recommendations are made as a result of this inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 1245982 7

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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 differences 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 whom 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: 1245982 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5th Floor, 80 Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UD

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Inspector

Elaine Cray, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1245982 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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