Children's home run by Prestige Adolescent Care and Education Limited in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report children’s home: SC407933 1 SC407933 Registered provider: Prestige Adolescent Care And Education 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

A small private company provides this service. Ofsted registered the home to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who may 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: Improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children make clear progress from their starting points, especially regarding keeping safe and engaging in formal education. Inspection report children’s home: SC407933 2  Children enjoy a particularly high standard of accommodation.  Leadership of the service is thorough. The directors and manager pay close attention to the individual needs of each child.  Staff establish meaningful relationships with children, which form the basis for children’s progress.  Children’s views, both positive and negative, are pivotal in the home.  External professionals and children’s families form a key part of each child’s care.  Children move successfully and confidently to new placements.  Children are engaged in their community. They enjoy wide-ranging activities and learn new skills from which they experience success and recognition.  Children experience very few negative incidents while living at this home. They

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Key findings from this inspection

concentrate on making progress and having fun.

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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

 Improvements are necessary to certain documents, including the statement of purpose and children’s guide, to make sure that they are up to date and accessible.  Sometimes, staff do not use the most effective ways of obtaining the information to which children are entitled.  A small number of procedures that have little or no impact on children require attention.  Ensure that managers keep staff supervision records and that staff receive a copy of these records.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/11/2016 Full Requires improvement 18/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/08/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC407933 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

Keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)) 04/12/2017

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Recommendations

 The registered person should evidence what they have done to achieve engagement with local authorities, including any actions taken to escalate concerns. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.3) This is with regard to obtaining relevant documents as soon as possible.  The children’s guide must be age appropriate and provided in an accessible format. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21)  Medicines must be administered in line with a medically approved protocol. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15) This is with regard to ensuring that staff understand when new staff are permitted to administer prescribed medication.  The policy on protection of children from abuse and neglect should include arrangements in relation to dealing with allegations involving staff in the home.

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Recommendations

All policies should be reviewed regularly and revised where appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.19) This is with regard to amending the policy to ensure that staff receive a written summary of any investigations into their practice.  Keep a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions and ensure that both the person giving the supervision and staff member have a copy of the record. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4) Inspection report children’s home: SC407933 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a well-maintained and comfortable home. The property itself is of a particularly high domestic standard, providing each child with space and privacy. The suburban location allows easy access to amenities and the countryside.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although children sometimes arrive at short notice, the manager takes care to have a clear impression of their needs. Staff consult current residents, as well as their social workers, about new admissions. This helps to integrate new children quickly and smoothly, and contributes to the longevity of children’s stays. Staff prepare new children’s bedrooms to a high standard. Staff explain things to children in ways that they understand. Consequently, all the children fully comprehend why they are living here and learn about the routines and boundaries. Another critical feature of the service is its stability. Many children have previously experienced multiple placement breakdowns. However, here the resident group seldom changes and, as a result, children enjoy consistency and stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of having good relationships with the children. Children feel that staff achieve this, especially the core members of staff who have not changed. Children feel comfortable talking to staff about their feelings. Visiting professionals consider that staff ‘work well with the children’. They repeatedly noted the ‘positive atmosphere’ in the home. The favourable staffing levels mean that children always have access to an adult who understands their individual needs. This is key to children’s good progress. Staff refer children to graphs showing their progress. Such pictorial representations have substantial impact and serve to remind children how well they are doing. For example, they helped one child understand how staff interpret his behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Activities are a central feature of children’s lives. They enjoy an excellent range of activities within personalised programmes, which they plan every week. These programmes include many sports, drama and other clubs in the local community. Some children have enjoyed significant success in their recreational activities, which increases their self-confidence. Children enjoyed a summer holiday together, during which they went surfing. Children develop positive memories, new skills, and lifelong pastimes, in contrast to their previous experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know that their views matter. Their choices make a significant difference to the home and to their own lives. The impact ranges from the choice of stickers in their bedrooms, to going horse riding, and deciding how to make best use of the available cars to get them to school and to activities. The children learn to compromise when their preferred outcome is not possible. The independent reviewing officer for one child pointed out how staff adapt their methods to achieve important goals. One child began to engage in his statutory review meetings because staff allowed him to come and go as he wished. He now feels that the meetings are worth attending.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are particularly successful in engaging families in children’s progress. Some visit the Inspection report children’s home: SC407933 5 home regularly, which helps staff teach them new ways of caring. Through the combination of care, education and therapy, children learn to identify and regulate their emotions. This is hugely beneficial, especially with their families. One child is preparing to go home to live, after arriving here with no family contact arrangements at all. Families learn to trust the staff. They engage in the plans to keep children safe and to improve their skills, and gain newfound confidence in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children learn independence skills according to their ages and circumstances. Children make the transitions to new placements or home gradually. This helps them to make the practical and emotional changes effectively. For one child, this means that he is currently obtaining membership of a running club in his home area. His advocate feels very positive about the work that staff have completed and said, ‘[He] is in a very different place from when he first moved here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s attendance rates at school are exemplary. The headteacher at the company’s school, where most children go, considers their attendance ‘fantastic’. For all children, this represents a marked improvement. Several had not been attending at all previously. An independent reviewing officer said of his child, ‘Staff have got in him into education, which is amazing. He has a spring in his step now.’ Children go to school prepared to make the best of it because the programmes are personalised. One has made strong progress in mathematics and now helps others in the class. Another is working hard in all areas after previously having not liked school at all. One child made sufficient progress to start at a mainstream school, which boosted his confidence. Staff supplement the education curriculum by holding regular events at home. They base these on the food, music and cultural characteristics of other countries. These excellent,

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

fun events create opportunities for children to learn about other people in a positive and safe way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health and regularly attend routine appointments with health services. Staff make sure that the children receive correct treatments and staff challenge doctors if they feel that medication regimes are not necessary. However, staff are not sufficiently clear about when new staff may administer medication to children. This increases the potential risk of misadministration. Staff teach children to look after their bodies, for example, they learn to make healthy meals, and no children smoke. They receive substantial help with their emotional journeys, too. Having a dedicated psychotherapist who is actively involved with each child is a major benefit. Her records clearly show that most children are progressing well in terms of a variety of indicators. For example, their concept of themselves, levels of anxiety and amount of anger. They demonstrate for one young person, for example, that his anger levels have halved since

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

he arrived. From being very unsettled, one child can now watch a whole film. Staff correctly treat such data with caution but consider it when compiling care and treatment plans.

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

The staff team successfully keeps children safe and helps them learn to avoid dangerous Inspection report children’s home: SC407933 6 situations. All the children said that they feel safe in the home and serious incidents rarely occur. Staff achieve this by having a thorough understanding of each child, adhering consistently to clear boundaries, and establishing meaningful relationships with children. For example, children know that staff do not allow them to smoke, they must attend school regularly, play fighting is not allowed, and that staff monitor their mobile telephones. More positively, staff always celebrate children’s successes, however small, and help children gain greater independence. A senior member of staff said, ‘We establish the culture that we know works.’ Once established in the home, children trust the staff and reflect on what they say. All the children said that they can talk to staff

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

Children feel free to raise concerns. These have not led to any serious findings against staff. However, the manager takes lessons from each event in order to improve his service. For example, a certain member of staff currently undertakes less direct work with one child, and certain combinations of children have a higher staffing ratio. One child now benefits from additional, pictorial forms of communication. This helps to reduce his frustrations. The social worker said, ‘[My child] is settling well in the placement. He is happy and wishes to stay [here] for now.’ Staff do not receive written evidence about the conclusions of investigations into allegations against them. This is an area identified for improvement.

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

The detailed written records, such as risk assessments, reflect staff members’ careful consideration of each child’s needs, taking into full account the views of other professionals. As one professional said, ‘There is very positive and constructive communication between myself and the staff at the home.’ Another described the planning and working together as ‘very productive’. As with other processes that staff use, these steps have meaning for the children. Staff adjust how they work with the children to best effect. Consequently, for example, one child who had frequent outbursts has now almost ceased being aggressive. This benefits his relationships with staff, his family and friends.

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

Children seldom go missing. Nevertheless, staff understand the relevant procedures and have strong links with the local police. Staff use specialist resources to help children understand how to protect themselves from harm. For example, they used online material to help one child understand the nature of child sexual exploitation. This was an important contribution to the successful transition of the child away from the home. Another child now uses a mobile telephone safely. This is important for his safety and self-esteem. Notably, staff address risks that other professionals consider minor. This attention to detail is an important feature of the good-quality service that children receive.

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

Staff understand the dangers posed by radical individuals and groups, whether it be online or face-to-face. No incidents have occurred. Staff routinely engage children in discussions about current affairs, which helps them to identify risky situations.

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

Staff recognise that bullying is a risk to children. Consequently, they teach children about it and check regularly whether it is occurring. Their routine therapeutic reflection on Inspection report children’s home: SC407933 7 incidents means that staff understand children’s feelings and, therefore, their behaviour. Staff feel that their training gives them a range of options so that they can apply the best one to individual children. No bullying has occurred, partly because children focus on their own busy schedules and on earning points. Their points accumulate and lead to extra activities. Children enjoy this system of rewards and, therefore, staff rarely resort to negative sanctions. For example, the three sanctions used since the last full inspection helped children learn the cost of items that they had damaged. The success of this system is fulfilling for staff and children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Ofsted registered the manager in 2016, and he has a relevant qualification. He leads the service well by engaging staff, children, and other professionals effectively. One child said, ‘He’s the best!’ A professional said, ‘[The staff] are really good at multi-agency working – it’s a privilege [working with them].’ The company provides the manager with strong support in the form of a knowledgeable supervisor and a psychotherapist. The leadership team implements the model of care described in the statement of purpose very clearly. The leadership team aims to treat all children with compassion, respect and dignity. Its ethos is to ensure that each child’s placement is a positive one in a safe, warm and nurturing environment. Children benefit from a therapeutic and reflective service that addresses each child’s needs and rights. The company has amended parts of the statement of purpose document in the last year but not reviewed all the contents as

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

required. This shortfall has no impact on children. However, the children’s guide to the home uses vocabulary and long sentences that are not sufficiently suitable for children. This shortfall potentially reduces new children’s understanding of the home. However, staff mitigate this effect by discussing the main points with each child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is keen to improve the home and takes great pride in children’s achievements. He promptly applies lessons learned from other services and routinely seeks the views of other professionals. Because of a shortfall identified at the last inspection, the manager has completed a training course about children who threaten to commit suicide. He gained a lot of understanding from this course, which he recorded and shared with the team. No child currently presents this risk but staff are suitably prepared if it arises in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children see parts of their files regularly, in particular when they are updating their placement plans with their key workers. They have helped staff compile colourful individual summaries of themselves for the benefit of new staff. Their files are up to date but not all have the required documents from children’s local authorities. The efforts by staff to obtain documents are not always as effective as possible. Such delays have minimal impact on children because staff acquire the information in other ways. Staff advocate strongly for the children, for example when they need extra resources. The manager uses attractive cartoons and shows various elements of children’s progress in graphs. These visual tools are useful for children and professionals alike. Staff involve children’s families too, when appropriate. This helps children emotionally. A social worker said, ‘[My child’s] family is very clear about his plan, and the staff support them with that

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children’s home: SC407933 8 a lot.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last full inspection, there have been a number of staff changes. The manager was rightly concerned about this and thoroughly investigated the causes. He found no single cause. Nevertheless, the directors amended parts of the company’s recruitment procedures. These improvements aim to reduce the number of resignations from new employees by explaining the nature of the work to applicants in more detail. The core team members managed the inevitable uncertainties, such changes caused, so that they had little effect on the children. For example, children experienced a reasonable level of consistency of temporary staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from a team that has a mix of genders, ages and backgrounds. Staff members provide strong role models that challenge children’s preconceived ideas, in particular about men in caring roles and women in leadership roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are very positive about the service and the support that they receive. They raise no concerns, and one agency member of staff rated it amongst the best homes he works at. A new member of staff commented that the manager is very considerate, for example when drafting the rotas. Staff complete a good range of training that often includes valuable first-hand input from external experts. The attendance rates are high, which reflects the staff members’ motivation. As a result, they approach each shift confidently and professionally. Team meetings occur regularly and are a core feature of the service. They serve to coordinate the team’s activities and behaviour well. The manager ensures that children’s needs are central to the discussions. For example, at a recent meeting, the therapist, who attends most staff meetings, helped staff understand their own physiological reactions to children’s behaviour. Individual staff members lead

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

discussions about the regulations that affect the home. For example, a recent discussion centred on the regulations about children’s education. This excellent practice gives staff members confidence in their day-to-day work. Staff also progress because of regular meetings with their supervisors and by having annual appraisals. Consequently, staff are keen to learn new things and ready to accept new responsibilities. Supervisors record these meetings but staff do not always receive a copy for their own records. Currently, 70% of the team members are qualified and the remainder are on target to complete within the statutory timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has an effective range of ways of checking how well his service is operating. He shows a thorough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the service. Importantly, he applies remedies to shortfalls. For example, one child was not sufficiently familiar with the complaints procedure, so the manager wrote a child-friendly version. The advocate for one child wrote, ‘Normally we have to chase people up, but not with this home.’ The manager finds out why people who have completed surveys sometimes give low scores. This is important attention to detail that helps the service to improve. Consequently, other professionals rate the service highly. One social worker said, ‘The setting is excellent,’ as did several other professionals.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report children’s home: SC407933 9 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: SC407933 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Prestige Adolescent Care And Education Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Genesis Centre, Unit 18 North Staffs Enterprise Centre, Innovation Way, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 4BF

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Inspector(s)

David Morgan, social care inspector Lisa O’Donovan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC407933 11 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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